The total number of internet users in the country has been increased by 100 times in nine years that can be viewed as a milestone to achieve the government’s goal to build a ‘Digital Bangladesh’.
Currently, the number of internet users is around 8 crore which was only 8 lakh in 2008.
“The government has set the target of turning the country into a ‘Digital Bangladesh’ to expand trade and commerce through easy communication network for building a prosperous country,” Prime Minister’s Principle Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury told BSS here.
Under the initiative, he said, different services, including internet, are reaching the mass people and they can easily communicate with one another for any purposes, including business, across the world.
Talking to BSS, ICT Division Public Relations Officer M Abu Nasher said the government has planned to ensure 100 percent internet access across the country by 2021.
The government will also ensure 50 percent broadband connection by 2021, he added.
Mentioning the rise in the number of internet users to 8 crore as a great success, he said the government will provide high speed broadband internet service to 2,600 unions of the country by 2018 through the Info Government Phase-3 project.
“The government has taken the project to enhance the backbone network nationwide to provide high-speed broadband connection for more citizens and enhance the government e-services in rural areas and ease the citizens’ access to the local government services and to ensure seamless resource and information sharing between government organizations,” he added.
Under the initiative of digital Bangladesh, he said, a total of 18,132 government offices have already been brought under the government intranet service and 17 books of the classes from one to five have been turned into the interactive multimedia digital content.
Abu Nasher, however, said the government has been working to establish 28 hi-tech parks across the country to develop human resources in ICT sector. He said unemployment problems of the country would reduce to a greater extent upon the successful establishment of the parks.
Abu Nasher said Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority (BHTPA) has imparted trainings to around 6500 youths on different sectors in the field of information and communication technology (ICT).
BHTPA has been providing training to youths under Skill Enhancement Program, Mid Level Program, Company Certification Program, C-Level Training program, Training on Lean Six Sigma, Oracle and SAP with a view to developing human resources, he said.
Bangladesh has received many international prestigious awards for implementation of different initiatives in Information Communication and Technology (ICT) sector.
The awards are South South Award 2011, Digital Development for Digital Health, Global ICT Excellence Award 2014, South South Co-operation Visionary Award 2014, World IT Services Alliance (WITSA) Award 2014, ICTs in Sustainable Development Award 2015, ICT for Development Award 2016, Global Mobile Government Award 2017, Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO) Digital Government Award 2016.
Access to Information (a2i) programme has received the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) Award for four consecutive years from 2014 to 2017.
Abu Nasher said Bangladesh Computer Council has received the ASSOCIO 2017 ICT Education Award and Info Government Project has received the “2017 eASIA Award”.
