With only little gains made from the massive “digital Bangladesh” electoral campaign of 2008, the ruling Awami League has not placed any new promises in this regard in its manifesto.
Industry analysts claimed that the ruling party was unable to fulfill most of its pledges about information and communication technology, although it managed to claim some of the private sector’s achievements as its own.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, also the Awami League president, placed some incorrect information in her election manifesto speech.
Hasina claimed the country had nearly 3.86 crore people as internet users, while 10 crore people used mobile phones.
But the BTRC claimed that there were only 3.66 crore active internet connections, according to available statistics.
The same statistics declared there to be more than 11.17 crore active SIM cards in the market; but this does not mean 10 crore people were using the mobile phones.
Market sources also claimed that at best, five to sixcrore people were using the internet.
In the manifesto speech of 2008, Hasina also declared that the party will set up a high-tech park, software technology park, ICT incubator and computer villages at suitable locations in the country.
However, the government only managed to initiate some of the projects and could not even finish the high-tech park project, which started 13 years back.
This time around, Hasina has said the fastest data services of 3G have been launched, and 4G will be launched within a short time.
“All the initiatives will be continued to build a digital Bangladesh, and we will work for a knowledge-based society.”
She also sought to assure the outsourcing and software industry of her continuing support.
In the manifesto, she also claimed that Bangladesh was one of the top leaders of ICT usage among the South Asian countries.
But a report by the International Telecommunication Union in 2012 declared Bangladesh’s ranking as 135, it was 139 in the previous year, out of 157 countries on the globe. Sri Lanka (107), India (121), Pakistan (129), and Myanmar (134) were ahead of Bangladesh, according to the report.
Meanwhile, a senior leader of the Bangladesh Association of Software & Information Services (BASIS) said this government had allocated hundreds of croresfor ICT development in budget or block allocation; but added that not a single coin had been spent from the funds over the years.
“The amendment of telecom act and transfer of the regulatory power from the BTRC [Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission] to the ministry did huge damage to the industry,” Abu Saeed Khan, a senior policy fellow of the Colombo-based regulatory think tank LIRNEasia and a former secretary of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (Amtob) told the Dhaka Tribune.
He said the awarding of dozens of gateway licences has damaged the whole sector.
“There was a cabinet decision to merge the telecom and ICT ministry; but they did not do it, which was also a missedopportunity,” he added.