BSS, Dhaka :
Speakers at a seminar in the city on Saturday said greater connectivity is needed to accelerate GDP growth and business creation, as the mobile industry has already spurred the establishment of a strong ICT sector in Bangladesh.
They also advocated developing contents that is relevant and useful to local mass market consumers.
Grameenphone and Telenor Group jointly organised the seminar in a city hotel as part of their ongoing campaign “Internet for All”. Entrepreneurs and tech-savvy youth also exchanged their ideas in the programme.
They said mobile connectivity has brought mobile phones, and with them individual freedom and greater livelihood opportunities into the hands of millions of people from all walk of life.
Cheaper and smarter devices enable mass market consumers to get their hands on apps, games and browsers, and as a result urban Bangladesh is among the fastest growing user groups on social media, like Facebook, they added.
Vivek Sood, CEO of Grameenphone, H+kon Bruaset Kjol, Senior Vice President of Telenor, Raihan Shamsi, CEO of Accenture Bangladesh, Munir Hasan, President of Wikimedia Bangladesh, Mostafa Aminur Rashid, Chairman of Symphony, Sonia Bashir Kabir, CEO of DELL Bangladesh, Shameem Ahsan, President of BASIS, Ahteram Uddin from Opera, Nesar Maksud Khan, Director of DCCI and Mobin Khan, CEO of EATL, were the panel discussants.
They said access to internet has enabled Bangladesh’s budding entrepreneurs and vast rural population to take the advantage of education, healthcare, financial and e- government services, which will be a shot in the arm for the economy and life-changing endeavours for almost 80 million people.
