As Bangladesh is going to enter the third generation mobile broadband era through an auction on 8th this month, the market is predicted to consume at least 250,000 3G-enabled mobile handsets every month.
The market value of these handsets will amount to more than Tk2bn in total, say the industry people.
According to the analysts, the country’s market is growing at 10% per month, and given this growth rate, after one year, the country will become a market of at least 3m handsets of this kind.
And, the market value of these sets will be roughly Tk25bn if an average price is calculated at Tk8,000 per set.
Apart from mobile sets, the market of 3G-enable tablets will also be booming with the launch of 3G service, the analysts predicted.
“We are expecting sale of at least 250,000 3G-enabled sets a month. Tablet sales will also be considerable,” said Hasan Mehedi, head of mobile of Samsung Electronics.
He, however, related the growth of mobile set sales with the cost a user would require to face to avail of 3G service.
The Samsung Electronics expects the sales of big screen handsets and 7-inch tablets will jump to 5-10 times higher in a year in Bangladesh.
In last year, the South Korean electronics giant sold 30,000 3G-enable handsets in Bangladesh while the number already crossed 100,000 this year, market sources said. The prices of most of the sets range between Tk5,000 and Tk10,000.
Officials of Symphony, a product of China, claimed they are dominating Bangladesh’s smartphone market with 60% share.
“We are leading smartphone market in Bangladesh as Symphony sets are less expensive, but maintain quality, offering variety in features,” said Md Rafiq Uddin, head of marketing of Symphony in Bangladesh.
He added that Teletalk’s 3G users are already having experience of
Symphony sets. “We are also planning about 4G sets.”
Currently, Symphony has 15 types of smartphone sets, out of which, 12 are 3G-enabled with prices ranging from Tk5,350 to Tk20,000.
But the companies are concerned of low quality 3G handsets likely to occupy the market. They urged the telecom watchdog to take preventive measures in this regard.
“We may be sending a letter to BTRC to declare configurations for 3G-enable handsets soon to save customers from frauds,” a high official of a mobile handset company requesting anonymity.
According to him, India has failed in utilising 3G service because of the market capture by the fraud 3G handset makers.
“BTRC has got to declare which are 3G-enable sets and which are not,” the official stressed.
When asked, BTRC Chairman Sunil Kanti Bose uttered the possibility of announcing configuration for 3G handsets.
“We can announce it (configuration) as we did the same in setting minimum broadband speed limit,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.
“3G success mostly depends on the handsets. So BTRC will be setting configuration and formulate a guideline for handsets import soon,” the chief of telecom watchdog said.
Faisal Alim, General Secretary of the Mobile Phone Importers Association of Bangladesh, laid emphasis on processor to identify a 3G handset.
“In fact, the processor makes difference between a general handset and 3G handset.”
Bangladesh currently imports at least 18 to 20m handsets every year. Out of it, over 10% sets are 3G-enable.
