Wireless Bangladesh

Power Crisis Cripples Life, ICT Severely Affected

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:40:00 +0600

The serious crisis of water, gas and electricity has heightened the agony of city dwellers inducing annoyance and displeasure among public mind. The continual power & gas crisis have already overwhelmed life all over the country. Moreover shortage in supply of water just added icing on the cake in increasingly hot weather.

Persisting gas crisis against the demand is the main reason for nagging electricity crisis as the country's 85 per cent electricity is produced through gas-fired power plants. Farmers in several places are going for demonstration to raise their concern as boro cultivation is seriously hampered by frequent power failure.

Students across the country, especially candidates of public examinations, are in total disarray due to electricity crisis. In addition, almost 30 percent of the production in the export-oriented garment factory has declined because of the shortage of power and gas. Capital Dhaka is experiencing power outage half of the day daily and as of today remedies for such crisis is still unknown.

ICT sector is severely affected due to the presence of inconsistent electricity. Mobile/ PSTN operators, ISP’s and other supporting organizations are passing hard time to ensure uninterrupted service. In many places, engineers are continuously on the move with their portable generators to keep people connected. But still, with 11 to 12 hours of power outage, general public has very little time to get the benefits of such efforts.

The people of the country are really in great crisis, despite all promising and ear chilling expressions from the government. They do believe that a country free from all crises like water, gas and electricity can only bring government’s dream of Digital Bangladesh to reality. Without the basic needs fulfilled, glory to achieve Digital Bangladesh will be in distant. To step forward, we need to stand firm. Thus the government should pay attention on the core crisis of the people on an emergency basis.

BanglaLion aiming for 250,000 users this year

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 7 Apr 2010 13:27:00 +0600

BanglaLion is targeting 750,000 subscribers across the country by the end of 2011 whilst aiming to cover all upazillas (rural regions) nationwide within the same timeframe, its chairman Abdul Mannan said on Friday, as quoted by the Bangladesh Financial Express. ‘Our target is to bring our subscriber base to 250,000 by the end of 2010 and during the following year, we would like to add 500,000 more to our customer base,’ Mannan said at a seminar on 'WiMAX for Digital Bangladesh’.

He continued: ‘In doing so, we will reach all the divisional headquarters by coming June followed by all the district towns by December this year and hopefully by 2011, all the upazillas will be covered.’ The newspaper points out that, on the face of it, the overall plan sounds very ambitious, as the WiMAX provider has yet to cover all parts of Dhaka city and Chittagong after launching in November last year.

BanglaLion received WiMAX licences in September 2009 for a total fee of USD215 million, but company officials have revealed that it failed to reach 1,000 subscribers in the first four months of its operations. Mannan revealed short-term goals, saying: ‘Initially, we are aiming to have 5,000 subscribers by the end of [April] and another 5,000 by May, and let’s see where it goes from there.’

The chairman admitted that the level of required investment greatly exceeded its original expectations, explaining that: ‘Previously, we thought that we could cover the whole Dhaka city with 80 base stations but now we see that we will need around 700 BTS for the capital alone.

At the same time, it would need 7,000 BTS to be set up across the country to reach the whole [of] Bangladesh.’ BanglaLion’s CEO, Khaled Shams, told the Financial Express: ‘Originally, we planned to invest around USD50 million in our network rollout ... but that figure may get doubled to cross USD100 million in the long term.’

Potential for mobile money in Bangladesh lies among the poor: Study

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sat, 3 Apr 2010 16:13:00 +0600

The true potential for mobile money in Bangladesh lies among the poor, reveals a research by LIRNEasia, an Asia Pacific think tank on telecom policy and regulation. LIRNEasia researcher Dr. Erwin Alampay, who led the research, said the potential of mobile money service could be largely attributed to the innovations by telecom operators like Grameen Phone.

Mobile money is essentially a form of electronic money. Real money is converted into e-money, and put into mobile wallets. This mobile currency can then be transferred from one mobile subscriber to another, thereby making funds transfer among individuals, even at a distance, easier, said a press release.

Now by merging the banking and mobile technologies they are ready to offer mobile payment schemes which Bangladesh poor are certain to benefit from.

Bangladeshi poor, like many developing countries, have embraced mobile phones in mass scale within the last decade.

According to LIRNEasia's six country 'Teleuse at the Bottom of the Pyramid' study that surveys the teleusage patterns of the poor 43% participants reported having owned a prepaid mobile phones in their household.

Bangladesh mobile users at the Bottom of the Pyramid (BoP) mostly credit their prepaid accounts by electronic reloads.

This familiarity with e-reload and top-up and e-load indicates their high-trust rating for this method which can be exploited when the second wave of mobile applications such as mobile money is introduced in Bangladesh, says Dr. Alampay, who studied mobile money system in Philippines comprehensively.

According to him, Bangladesh can learn extensively from Philippines experience which is already over five years old. The Philippines is a leader in many mobile applications, beginning with SMS-use.

It can be used for retail, pay utilities and can be exchanged or transferred from subscriber-to-subscriber. It is this inter- subscriber transfers which makes m-money's applications for development exciting, the study said.

Besides, there is great interest in tapping the service for international remittances, which can emerge as one of the most popular and exciting uses of mobile money, it said.

The Philippines experience has shown that for a USD 20 remittance, as much as 6% in transactions costs can be saved.

According to the study, like the Philippines, Bangladesh has a large migrant population. In fact, as much as 10% of the BOP in Bangladesh has relatives who are international (external) migrant while another 10% has internal migrant relatives.

Eighty-six per cent of external migrants and 52% of internal Bangladeshi migrants remit back money. On average USD 185 is sent at a time, with 59% reporting migrant relatives sending money at least every month or even less.

Only 2 percent migrants have satisfaction with their current mode of sending money and as such will not try an alternative service that can be done through mobile phones, it says.

Given the size of the BOP in Bangladesh, and the large number of migrants and the amount and frequency of transactions every month, one can see the great potential of m-money as a value added service for the BOP.

AKTEL rebrands itself as focus shifts to rural market

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:09:00 +0600

Axiata (Bangladesh) Ltd has rebranded itself with a new look by introducing Robi, the new brand name for the company, to take its products to the mostly untapped rural market.

'Robi' replaces the earlier brand name of 'AKTEL'. The company launched branding campaigns -- Bangladesh Mela -- at more than 70 spots across the country on Saturday, where local singers performed until yesterday. It also introduced a new brand logo.

AKTEL, initially a joint venture between Telekom Malaysia and the local AK Khan Group, launched services in 1997 in Bangladesh. Later, the company was renamed Axiata (Bangladesh) Ltd after Japanese NTT DoCoMo bought AK Khan's 30 percent share in AKTEL in 2008.

Axiata is now aiming to localise all of its branding. The word Robi has been chosen as it carries a range of meanings representing the emotional and cultural bonds of Bangladeshis.

"We aim to develop an emotional link with the culture and roots of this nation," said Michael Kuehner, managing director and chief executive of Axiata (Bangladesh) Ltd, at a press meet at Suhrawardi Udyan in Dhaka.

The mobile operator launched the brand at sunrise .

"As Bangladesh's future telecom market will be rural-based, identification with a Bengali word is expected to add value," said Biddyut Kumar Basu, chief commercial officer of Axiata Bangladesh.

He said under the new brand name, Axiata is going to offer a wide range of affordable services, including minute call rates between Tk 0.40 and Tk 1.48 for different customer segments.

Axiata launched its re-branding activities at a time when other operators in the market quietly began a price war.

The entry of Indian Airtel has possibly prompted operators to concentrate on the rural market.

The market's top operator Grameenphone announced new price plans and unveiled three new packages, charging between Tk 0.49 and Tk 0.99 a minute.

Banglalink also lowered call charges to Tk 0.68 a minute. Axiata presently offers calls at prices between Tk 0.68 and Tk 1.48 a minute.

Bangladesh's total mobile subscriber base was 54.15 million as of February 2010. Grameenphone is the market leader with 23.75 million customers, followed by Banglalink with 14.13 million and Robi with 10.31 million.

Meanwhile, in Chittagong, a daylong programme to unveil the new logo was also held on DC Hill premises.

Research and Markets: Bangladesh - Internet Market

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 13:54:00 +0600

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/12712f/bangladesh_inter) has announced the addition of the "Bangladesh - Internet Market" report to their offering.

The Internet came late to Bangladesh with connectivity in 1996. In the last few years it has grown dramatically, although obviously from a very low base. With an estimated Internet user base of more than 700,000 by end-2009, representing only a 0.4% user penetration, the local Internet industry has been preparing to move into the next stage of its development. As this report demonstrates, however, the country must work hard to overcome obstacles associated with the countrys lowly economic status and still developing infrastructure, not least of which being an indifferent, bureaucratic government. The report also looks briefly at very early signs of broadband Internet in Bangladesh and its first moves into WiMAX services.

Key Topics Covered: 1. Synopsis 2. Internet market 2.1 Overview 2.1.1 Internet statistics 2.1.2 Constraints on Internet growth 2.1.3 Censorship 2.2 Village Computer and Internet Program 2.3 International Internet Gateway (IIG) licences 2.4 ISP market 2.4.1 Overview 2.4.2 BTTBs ISP service 2.4.3 Grameen Cybernet 2.4.4 Integrated Services Network 2.4.5 InTech Online 2.4.6 AlwaysOn 2.5 Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) 3. Broadband market 3.1 Overview 3.2 Wireless broadband 3.2.1 WiMAX licences 3.3 Fibre-to-the-Home (FttH) 4. Regulation 4.1 Cyber laws 4.2 National ICT Policy - 2009 5. Related reports

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/12712f/bangladesh_inter

18 ISPs shut down for VoIP business: Thousands of users suffer

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 14:10:00 +0600

Thousands of Internet users in the country are suffering as BTRC on Saturday shut down 18 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) on the allegation of running voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) business illegally.

Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) suspended licences of the ISPs in its drives over the last two weeks.

The companies are: Accent Corporation Ltd, IP Vision, I-net Information Service, Easy Access, Prodeshta, Global Access, Ridtel, IDS Bangladesh, Net3 Ltd, Dipt Services, S Link, Image Net, 3D Solution, AKRS Network, Neus Network Solution, Multinet Computer and Technology, Techno Online, and Second Link. Office as well as home users could not use Internet service as its connections at different parts of the country were cut off. People remained disconnected from the rest of the world.

Corporate houses and IT related companies complained of losing a huge amount of revenue and inconvenience in correspondences due to the sudden shutdown.

Publication of the newspapers also disrupted as was no Internet service connection till filing this report late last night. Newspapers had to go back to the old system of "hand service" for collecting news items from home and international sources. Many of Internet users telephoned to The New Nation office till late night to know about the sudden disruption of the service. They reacted angrily saying as to why the government, before issuing licenses to them, did not direct these companies not to run VoIP business.

Due to lack of proper monitoring by the concerned government agencies, hacking as well as harassment of women by using social networking sites increased, the conscious section of the Internet users alleged and suggested that the government should give more attention in this regard.

Meanwhile, President of ISPs Association Akhtaruzzaman Manju claimed that these 18 Internet providers are not members of their association. "We give membership to only those Internet Service Providers who commit not to use VoIP business," he said.

He, however, claimed that it was not true that the countrywide Internet service was collapsed.

Welcoming the recent drives of the BTRC, he said that the voices of the Internet Service Providers should be heard. He said law should take its own course against those who would be found guilty.

"VoIP business should be legalised," he said.

BTRC sources, however, said that the 18 companies are the members of ISPs Association.

Operating VoIP is not illegal, the BTRC sources said, adding but a company has to give revenue to the government exchequer. These companies have been pocketing a huge amount of money evading revenue which caused huge losses to the government.

He said that the BTRC issued licences to ISPs to provide Internet service, not to run VoIP business.

Bangladesh shuts three phone operators for illegal telephony

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:08:00 +0600

BTRC has suspended operations of three private phone operators in less than a week for allegedly running unlicenced phone services, a spokesman of the telecom regulatory body said on Friday.

The Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission closed the offices of Ranks Telecom Ltd, or RanksTel, a private firm licensed in 2004 as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), as the government was convinced that the operator runs an illegal business using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), for which it is not licenced.

"We have shut down all activities of RanksTel since Friday morning after we found a huge quantity of VoIP equipment at the company's office," BTRC chairman Zia Ahmed said, adding that three employees had also been detained.

Internet Telephony Services Launch In Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:02:00 +0600

Internet service providers (ISP) in Bangladesh entered the era of IP (Internet Protocol) telephony on Tuesday following 18 local ISPs formally launched their operations of commercial internet telephony services in the country.

"As a result of this new service, anyone with an internet connection can make phone calls through an wide array of devices including ATA devices, USB phones, IP phones, Wi-Fi IP phones, SIP enabled cell phones or merely through soft phones on the desktop or laptop PCs"- President of Internet Service Providers' Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) Akhtaruzzaman Manju told AHN Media in the capital, Dhaka after lunching such operation.

Mr. Manju also said: "They can make or receive calls from anywhere in Bangladesh using their IP phone to a mobile or PSTN numbers. Although, there are some policy restrictions on making phone calls to another IP connections or another computer and there are also some restrictions on using the same service from abroad or for making international calls".

In 2009, the regulatory body gave the green light to the local ISPs for providing the IP telephony services in the country, ending a 10 year long wait. Accordingly, a total of 22 companies took the license for IPTSP, out of which, 18 ISPs went to IP telephony operation on the day.

Bangladesh blocks 1.5 million mobile phones

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:17:00 +0600

Bangladesh has blocked 1.5 million mobile numbers and tightened regulations for buying and selling SIM cards following a spike in cellphone-related crime, an official said Thursday.

Under new rules, children under 18 will be barred from buying a SIM card and adults will have to show their national identity cards to register new mobile numbers, Home Secretary Abdus Sobhan Shikdar told AFP.

"Police have disconnected over 200,000 phones which were being used in cases of extortion and hasslement," he said, adding that a further 1.3 million numbers were blocked because they lacked full registration documents.

SIM cards, the unique data card for each phone, can currently be purchased without providing any identification which has led to a spike in abusive or criminal calls that are hard to trace, he said.

Under the new rules, which have been approved by the home ministry, licensed SIM card retailers must also obtain police clearance.

The move follows a string of reports in local media about death threats -- issued on hard-to-trace pay-as-you-go mobile phones -- to political leaders and high-profile businessmen.

Bangladesh's mobile phone subscriber base has grown from 1.5 million in early 2003 to around 54 million in January this year, thanks to a price war among operators and a booming economy growing at an average six percent a year.

Bangladesh police arrest Facebook share tipster

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 4 Mar 2010 17:39:00 +0600

A Dhaka-based Facebook stocks tipster with over 10,000 followers has been arrested on charges of illegally manipulating Bangladesh's overheated stock exchange, police said Thursday.

Mahbub Sarwar, 26, a prolific blogger who provided online stock tips through the popular social networking site, will be charged with market manipulation, Mohammad Sohel, spokesman for the Rapid Action Battalion police force told AFP.

'His Facebook account has 3,000 members and he has a number of blogs... we believe around 10,000 or more people have been acting on his tips for the last few months,' Sohel said.

'His tips could trick thousands of people into buying certain shares on certain days,' he said, adding that Sarwar would also be charged with providing market advice without a license.

Regulators said they had been investigating Sarwar for months. Membership of his Facebook group costs up to 70 dollars a month and he would also charge for individual tips, police say.

He is also accused of running an unauthorised portfolio management services company - advising clients on which investments to make - for which he charged 20 percent of profits.

'He is not alone. There may be more like him, using the internet to trick investors,' the executive director of the Security and Exchange Commission, A.B.M. Tariquzzaman, told AFP.

Bangladesh's bourse, one of Asia's smallest, is vulnerable to manipulation and regulators have struggled to stop a slew of online scams, publicly warning investors in January of a rogue Facebook group providing bogus tips.

Internet services were introduced in Bangladesh in 1996 and the number of users in Bangladesh is now more than 6 million, according to Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh.

Although nearly 40 percent of its population lives on less than a dollar a day, Dhaka's share market has been one of the best performers in the world with the main index doubling since the middle of last year.

Experts have described the Dhaka Stock Exchange as a 'ticking bomb' as repeated attempts to cool the market's bull run this year failed. Tens of thousands of retail investors have poured in fresh funds every day.

BBC reaches Bangladesh mobile phone landmark

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 17:36:00 +0600

The BBC's international development agency - says that the BBC Janala (Window) service is transforming the way people learn the language.

Launched in November 2009, the service has proved popular with the country's 50 million mobile users.

Many of them want to learn English to improve access to the global economy.
The BBC WST says the BBC Janala service is the first of its kind in the world and has turned the mobile phone into a low-cost education device by offering hundreds of three-minute audio lessons and SMS quizzes through people's handsets.

By simply dialling 3000, almost anyone in Bangladesh can participate in new classes each day, ranging from essential English for beginners,
to story telling in English.

The BBC WST says that so far 1,030,583 lessons have been accessed, with users engaging with Janala's interactive services, which include audio quizzes, English story recording and direct feedback, an additional 130,000 times.

"Part of its success is the price, with the BBC teaming up with all of Bangladesh's mobile operators to offer a national service at half the cost of a typical call or SMS - just 1 Taka (1 pence) a minute," said BBC WST spokesman Damian Wilson.

GSMA urges Bangladesh to develop Broadband services

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 17:41:00 +0600

GSMA, the global trade body representing the mobile telephone industry, on Thursday called on Bangladesh to issue third-generation (3G) radio spectrum, to develop broadband services and internet access in the country.

"With limited fixed line coverage unable to adequately serve the widely dispersed Bangladesh population, more focus must be given to releasing the urgently needed spectrum for mobile broadband," Tom Phillips, Chief Government and Regulatory Affairs Officer at the GSMA said in a statement.

About 90 percent of fixed lines in Bangladesh are in urban areas where about 25 percent of the population lives, the GSMA said.

The Bangladesh Telecoms regulator said it plans to award 3G licenses through an open auction this year. The move could help more people access the internet.

About 52 million people have mobiles in the country, compared with 1.65 million fixed-line phones.

Analysts predict the number of mobile subscribers could top 70 million by 2011, nearly half the country's population of 150 million people.

There are six cellphone carriers in Bangladesh, including five foreign operators.

Grameenphone, mostly controlled by Norway's Telenor leads the market with 23.26 million subscribers followed by Egyptian Orascom Telecom's Banglalink with 13.87 million.

Analysts expect competition to heat up in the telecom sector as India's top operator Bharti Airtel is buying 70 percent stake in Bangladesh's fourth-largest carrier Warid.

Internet access is expected to contribute 2.6 percent of GDP in 2020, by stimulating the agricultural, service and manufacturing industries, according to the Boston Consulting Group.

Bharti to buy 70% stake in Bangladesh mobile operator Warid

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 16:25:00 +0700

Indian telecom giant Bharti Airtel is set to buy a 70-percent stake in Bangladesh's fourth largest mobile phone operator Warid from its Abu Dhabi-based owners, regulators said Wednesday.

The Dhabi Group, which fully owns Warid, has sought approval from the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission for the sale, commission chairman Zia Ahmed told AFP.

The move makes Bharti the latest foreign firm to make inroads into the Bangladesh mobile phone market, which is one of the country's fastest growing and potentially lucrative sectors.

"The Dhabi Group informed us on Sunday that it would sell 70 percent of Warid Telecom shares to Bharti Airtel Ltd. We have sought more papers and the copy of the memorandum of understanding between the two companies," he said.

Ahmed said the company did not mention how much the stake was valued at but added that Bharti had "initially intended to invest 300 million dollars."

"I am sure the new investment will inject new momentum into our telecoms sector," he said.

‘Made in Bangladesh’ satellite soon in orbit

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:19:00 +0700

Bangladesh is set to launch shortly its first communication satellite, Post and Telecommunications Minister Raziuddin Ahmed Raju announced. Homemade, the project is expected to cost US$ 150-200 million as part of the government’s “Digital Bangladesh” plan.

The minister told AsiaNews that the goal is to put in space a “made in Bangladesh” satellite that will enhance telecom services. The government has discussed the issue, especially the technical aspects with a number of foreign countries including the United States, Japan, China and Germany. Its priority is to strengthen cooperation with some nations that already have extensive experience in the satellite technology field.

The satellite will improve television broadcasting, meteorological data collection, natural resources mapping as well as weather forecasting. It will also be used to control mass communication data traffic.

The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed has already taken “significant steps” in terms of technology and in the telecom field, including free telephone connections in all districts except the capital Dhaka. The goal is to set up a broad nation-wide network by 2012.

Internet access will improve, the minister said, and “become cheaper” and “faster”. Within three months all of the country’s upazilas (sub-districts) will be connected, including remote areas.

“With the satellite, the government will introduce a new era in the field of telecommunications in Bangladesh,” the minister said.

Bangladesh has a population of 143 million people and is 140th on the human development index scale.

Figures for 2007 indicate that only 0.32 per cent of Bangladeshis have access to the internet whilst illiteracy is around 59 per cent. The annual per capita income stands at US$ 470.

Ericsson to modernize Bangladesh's largest mobile operator's network

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 5 Nov 2009 16:01:00 +0700

Bangladesh's largest mobile operator-- Grameenphone -- has chosen Ericsson Bangladesh Limited to upgrade its mobile soft switch solution for further expansion of network.

According to a press release of Ericsson here Wednesday, the latest switching technology from Ericsson will help Grameenphone (GP) meet the needs of its expanding subscriber base and pave the way for the quick and cost-effective future introduction of new services such as mobile broadband.

It said the two-year contract, which was signed recently, also includes charging solutions and related services. The value of the deal was not, however, disclosed.

Apart from upgrading GP's packet-switched and circuit-switched core network, the press release said, the contract will also cover the upgrade of GP's GSM radio access network and the supply, deployment and systems integration of Ericsson's Mobile Packet Backbone Network solution.

"Ericsson's advanced technology will optimize our network operations and strengthen our ability to evolve and expand our business while preparing our network for future needs," Oddvar Hesjedal, Chief Executive Officer of GP was quoted as saying in the press release.

Hakan Rusch, Managing Director of Ericsson Bangladesh, said, "This agreement demonstrates Ericsson's commitment to cultivating long-term, strategic relationships with the aim of creating a competitive advantage for our customers."

The official data of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission showed GP, 62 percent owned by Norwegian Telenor, has 21.98 million customers until September this year, which is nearly half of the country's total number of cell phone users.

Online banking begins in Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 2 Nov 2009 16:13:00 +0700

Banking in Bangladesh entered a new era with the commencement of online payment system introduced by the country’s central bank. It facilitates fund transfers and payment of utility bills on the net.

The new move allows people to use local currency credit cards for online transactions within the country.

Although these services are being introduced by the Bangladesh Bank on a small scale, it is seen as the first step toward full-fledged online banking.

It will enhance the use of e-commerce and online banking services, facilitating subscribers of all commercial banks in Bangladesh.

“Hassles are about to be over. Shoppers will no longer have to go to market spending hours in traffic jams. One does not need to stand in long queues to pay utility bills. All are now possible on the Internet,” The Daily Star said Tuesday.

The central bank issued a circular to all commercial banks, saying subscribers to Internet banking will now be able to pay utility bills online from customers’ accounts to billing accounts.

“This will create a revolution in e-commerce and online banking,” said Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman.

Online fund transfer between two accounts under the same name in the same bank will also be possible.

The circular mentioned that e-commerce-based transaction between buyers and sellers can also be done through Internet banking. Online transactions by credit card in local currency will also be possible.

“This is the first and the most significant step towards electronic transaction in the country,” Munir Hasan, consultant to the Access to Information (A2I) project under the Prime Minister’s Office, told the newspaper.

Vice Chairman of Association of Bankers Bangladesh Nurul Amin, also managing director of National Credit and Commerce Bank Ltd, said: “Banks need to be prepared for offering such services. Customisation and integration are necessary for this purpose.”

Security measures along with a legal framework need to be put in place to safeguard both customers and banks, he added.

“We collect payment manually from 300-400 clients every day. The system consumes huge time and money. Now we are ready to start online payment collection on a pilot basis. We were waiting for this to happen for quite long,” said Fahim Mashroor, chief executive officer of Bdjobs.com.

Alternative submarine cable route proposed

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 2 Nov 2009 16:07:00 +0700

PMO urged to consider Mongla-Chennai route

The telecommunications ministry recently has urged the Prime Minister's Office to consider Mongla-Chennai route for connecting Bangladesh with an alternative submarine cable line.

The alternative undersea cable line from Mongla, Khulna to Chennai in India has been given preference as international submarine cable consortiums are available on the route.

"The proposed undersea cable line will connect Bangladesh with other parts of the world using the government's own fund," Sunil Kanti Bose, secretary of the ministry, told The Daily Star over phone yesterday.

He, however, said the donors may finance for this alternative submarine cable line.
The secretary said the private sector initiative would also be considered along with the government initiative.

"We also prefer the Mongla-Chennai route as it is more secured than other undersea cable routes," he said.

At present, three international submarine cable consortiums are available in the sea in Chennai of India.

The government earlier has taken initiative to connect Bangladesh with an alternative submarine cable to relieve the internet users from repeated disruptions, the secretary said.

The country was linked to a submarine cable in 2006 at a cost of $35.1 million. The SMW-4 cable has a capacity to handle a 120 Gb bandwidth, of which Bangladesh currently subscribes to 24.12 Gb.

The country uses 23 percent of its capacity domestically. Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Ltd handles the lone submarine cable. The existing cable landed through Cox's Bazar to Dhaka.

The demand for an alternative submarine cable has been raised by the internet based entrepreneurs in last few years. The government also had a plan to bring another submarine cable through private sector initiative.

As many as 60 lakh people are now using internet in Bangladesh. The internet penetration rate is 4 percent.

Acton bags order from BanglaLion

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:21:00 +0700

Wins order for 10,000 WiMAX CPE devices

Bangla Lion Communications, a licensee of WiMAX, based in Bangladesh, has placed orders for 10,000 WiMAX CPE devices with Accton Technology, which is headquartered in Taiwan.

In addition, Bangla Lion Communications is currently negotiating orders with Zyxel Communications, the leading provider of broadband-internet access solutions.
Abdul Manan, chairman of Bangla Lion Communications, said in Taipei that the company’s shopping list of CPE products includes indoor and outdoor WiMAX terminal-end devices as well as USB network cards.

Bangla Lion Communications also will approach suppliers who can offer netbooks having built-in WiMAX modules, according to Abdul Manan. He was in Taipei to attend the exhibition named ‘Broadband Taiwan-2009’ which took place on October 26-28, 2009.

Manan said Bangla Lion Communications intends to invest US $250 million in order to build up its WiMAX infrastructure over the next 5 years. Apart from this, the company aims to raise the number of its WiMAX base stations from 900 at present to 6,000.

Aktel, Warid to Share Infrastructure

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:02:00 +0700

Axiata (Bangladesh) Limited and Warid Telecom International Limited (Warid), two major telecommunications companies in the country, signed an infrastructure sharing agreement in Dhaka recently.

In line with the infrastructure sharing guideline of the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, the agreement allows both the operators to share tower spaces for setting up microwave and GSM antennas. It also allows sharing the same land space for setting up BTS room, electrical power generator power sharing. The overall effect of the deal is that it reduces the time and resources utilised by both operators in finding suitable sites, a news release said.

Aktel managing director and chief executive officer Michael Kuehner and Warid chief executive officer Muneer Farooqui signed the agreement on behalf of their respective companies.

Qubee Starts Wimax services

noreply@blogger.com (WB Author) — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:46:00 +0700

Qubee has officially started operations from today and have started to offer customers their service. There are two packages on offer currently. 512 kbps connection for 3400 takas a month that has a 6 GB monthly usage limit and a 1 mbps connection for 6200 taka which has a 9 GB monthly usage limit and the modem will cost you 7000 taka.

This is not the affordable service that was promised by qubee, but still its a start. The biggest letdown is the limit on data transfers. But it is upto how much you use the internet for. Still, it looks like we are going to have to hang on to our cable internet connections for a little while still. I hope when Banglalion comes out, the charges will reduce because of the competition.

Also, they should offer 128 kbps and 256 kbps connections at reduced prices.

Qubee is going to show off how fast it is in some places throughout Dhaka. You can get more details of this in their website.

Qubee's services are currently available in most of the major parts of Dhaka. You can get details about this also on the website. http://www.qubee.com.bd/.

What do you think about the connection prices? Are you going to use it? What are your expectations? Leave your comments in the section below.

Ray of Hope for Wimax Bangladesh

noreply@blogger.com (WB Author) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:52:00 +0700

Mohammad Kashif Choudhury

The promise of fast broadband connection through wimax technology has got a lot of people excited. The companies concerned, Banglalion and Augere have promised to start providing coverage by the end of 2009.

In this article I will be concentration on Qubee. Sounds like a funny name but this is actually what Augere has decided to name its venture. Augere is currently also present in Pakistan. The website in Bangladesh is called www.qubee.com.bd and the one for Pakistan is www.qubee.com.pk. Currently, the Bangladeshi version doesn't have any information about connection prices or coverage area, but Qubee has already started operations in Pakistan and you can go to their website and see the packages in some detail. Apparently, they are only providing corporate customers service but they promise to bring out the packages for home customers as well soon. Whats interesting in the Pakistan version of the website is that they have a section (at the bottom right of the home page) that gives a hint on the speed they provide. It compares 56 kbps, 512 kbps and 1 mbps speeds in a cool flash animation. Now, even if its a distant dream, seeing 1 mbps so close to home brings a smile to your face !!! Go ahead, check it out yourself.

Up till this point, there is no news of the completion of Wimax testing, but hopefully there will be some news soon. Share your thoughts and hopes for the roll out of Wimax in the comments section below.

Sri Lanka Broadband Summit to Assess South Asian Revenue Models

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:53:00 +0700

A South Asian broadband communication conference and expo to be held in Sri Lanka in October with speakers from the global industry will focus on investing, and cost and revenue models in the fast growing region.

It will also cover how Next Generation Technology fits into the region, home to large clusters of outsourced back office services in financing, accounting, exports, and manufacturing, the organisers said in a statement.

The conference, organized by Technology Networking International (TNI) a USA-based firm, would bring together global equipment vendors, regional operators, service providers, regulatory agencies, channel partners, and corporate customers.

It will address the latest technology and regulatory developments, business case studies and development plans of the main operators and internet service providers in the region.

The conference, to be held on October 6 and 7, 2009, will deal with broadband deployment in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

It will also focus on benchmarking which is important to establish the price levels in the region which are affordable by the customers but also profitable for the service providers, the statement said.

"That price/performance range will be the driver for the increase of broadband penetration rate (number of broadband customers as the fraction of population)."

Benchmarking is also needed to establish the quality levels that will be used as the basis for pricing and international exchange.

"Without established quality standards it is very difficult to establish meaningful pricing, as well to provide guaranties to the customers that they are getting what they are paying for. This is especially important for the business customers."

Source: lbo.lk

Bangla Phone Finally Starts Ringing

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:46:00 +0700

BTRC withdraws its 'hostile' restriction

Private telecom company Bangla Phone resumes operation after more than two years of hibernation as Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has recently withdrawn its restriction on letting the company sub-lease and share its optical fibre lines.

The phone company run by a non-resident Bangladeshi invested Tk 135 crore and began commercial operation in 2006. In the first year it made Tk 14 crore operating profit and paid the government Tk 2.53 crore in VAT, tax and duties.

But from then on the company's business almost died down due to BTRC's 'irrational hostility'.

Consequently, the company retrenched half of its expert manpower and drastically slashed staff salary to stay alive.

But now BTRC has ended the 'hostility' by issuing the company with a permit for leasing or sharing of its network, which remained suspended from January last year.

Bangla Phone is one of the dozen Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) companies licensed by BTRC to provide telecom services in different zones of the country. The company focussed on developing optical fibre network to provide backend service to leading telecom operators.

But from early 2007, BTRC singled out Bangla Phone by issuing notices of cancellation of its licence using various pretexts. The telecom watchdog also put pressure on Bangla Phone's large clients not to use the company's network.

In February 2008, it cancelled the company's countrywide Domestic Data Communication Service Provider (DDCSP) licence and leasing permit.

Officially, BTRC accused Bangla Phone of "illegally" subleasing of its optical fibre network. Its optical fibre network now stands at 3,600 kilometres covering Cox's Bazar to Dhaka and up to Sylhet.

The BTRC during the caretaker government rule further argued that Bangla Phone did not serve individual subscribers with phone lines. This was true as the company only focused on developing network for bulk customers like other phone companies. It only had 26 individual subscribers. Again, the base became handicapped as the company could no longer provide the necessary equipment to customers since mid-2007, as BTRC stopped issuing no objection certificates (NOC) to the company for release of any imported equipment from customs.

The unofficial reason for this 'hostility', according to sources, had been linked with the Bangla Phone's owner Amjad H Khan's purchase of majority share of controversial phone company World Tel.

The BTRC, under the past caretaker and BNP-lead alliance governments had sided with Nayeem Mehtab Chowdhury, who claimed to have owned the majority shares. The then BTRC chairman sided with Nayeem, although a Rab investigation accused him of being involved with several financial scams and sent him to jail in early 2008. He is now out on bail.

The then BTRC chairman had opted for arbitrarily slapping financial penalty on the mobile phone and other PSTN companies for illegally using VoIP for call termination. But he tried his best to cancel Bangla Phone's PSTN licence till his last day in the office.

After the Awami League government assumed power, the then BTRC chairman's resignation re-opened Bangla Phone's avenue for scrutiny. The new BTRC chairman at a meeting with the Bangla Phone chief in April-May assured him of justice.

Bangla Phone chief Amjad H Khan told The Daily Star, "It took BTRC some time to review the legal documents before issuing us with permit for leasing or sharing of E1, optical fibre, duct and other telecom installations in early August. We are happy that BTRC has finally changed its stance."

Amjad, whose successful experience of setting up and running a phone network company in the US prompted him to return to Bangladesh, adds he is now expecting BTRC to reissue him with equipment and frequency permissions, which would enable him to launch the company's activities in full swing.

"We are now going back to our customers and reclaim business," he said. For instance, Bangla Phone resumed its services to its old customer Teletalk and it is in the process of opening business with other licensed telecos.

The company subsequently withdrew cases challenging various decisions of BTRC as a fresh start. On the other hand, before reissuing the permit for sharing of its network, BTRC fined Bangla Phone Tk 2 lakh for violation of terms and condition of its PSTN licence by leasing out its network.

Bangla Phone believes building the network does not go against the terms and conditions of the PSTN licence issued to it in 2004. A High Court verdict, based on a writ against BTRC's show-cause notices of 2007 and 2008, last year substantiated Bangla Phone's claim.

Source: The Daily Star

PROTECT YOUR CAR FROM THEFT

noreply@blogger.com (WB Author) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:16:00 +0700

Kashif Choudhury -- In our country, there are about 50 car thefts reported to the police every month. Out of those, not many are recovered. But now, there is a technology available in Bangladesh that allows one to track their car no matter where they are. The idea is pretty simple. There is a GPS tracker installed in the car that transmits signals to a satellite that in turn, accurately relays the location of the car to the owner through a software provided. In addition, the tracking devices can be wired with capabilities such as shutting down the engine, locking the doors, checking fuel consumption etc. There is also 24 hour customer support provided by the companies.

The four companies that have received licences from the BTRC are, Grameenphone (these people are everywhere !!), Monico Ltd, NITS Service Private Ltd and Nexdecade Technologies Ltd. These licences were handed out in June of 2009.

Now for the most important factor, Pricing. The hardware costs 12000 to 13000 takas and about 650 to 750 takas per month. This is quite reasonable because a car will typically cost three lakh to thirty lakh takas. In my opinion, this small cost incurred is a small price to pay for peace of mind and security of what is, in many cases, the most valuable asset a person has.

A number of companies and organizations have already taken the plunge and installed these devices on their vehicles. These include, Warid telecom, UNDP, Transparency International etc.

All in all, including private cars and firms, there are about 1200 cars on our streets. I would like more exposure and public awareness about this technology to be provided by the companies involved. This has the potential to reduce the number of car thefts in our country significantly and also reduce the thefts of petrol and misuse of the cars by drivers.

Comments are welcome.

Digitizing Universities

noreply@blogger.com (WB Author) — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:37:00 +0700

Kashif Choudhury -- The Education Ministry has asked various public universities to utilize information technology in matters of admission, fee submissions and seat plans. It has asked the authorities to publish all the necessary information about admission on their website along with admission forms that can be submitted online. The admission fees will be received thorough cell phones and payments can also be made by online banking. The Ministry said that this initiative would help realize a digital Bangladesh.

Now it is to be seen if the authorities in the universities concerned pay heed to the calls.