The day-long “Digital Investment Summit 2015” held in Dhaka today concluded with a strong commitment from participants to promote investment in the ICT sector and drive digital solutions through mobile technology for the development of the country.
The investment summit, which was held at the Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel, featured participation from key local and international policymakers, investors and industry leaders. Mr. Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed, ICT Affairs Adviser to the Honorable Prime Minister, inaugurated the summit as Chief Guest. Mr. Zunaid Ahmed Palak MP, State Minister, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications & Information Technology, was also present at the inauguration as Special Guest.
“Far from being the basket case country as predicted by Henry Kissinger, Bangladesh today is considered one of the 11 emerging countries and the third fastest growing economy in the world,” pointed out Mr. Sajeeb Wazed in his inaugural speech, highlighting critical development parameters the country has attained over the last six years alone.
The ICT adviser presented that internet penetration had grown from 0.4% in 2008 to nearly 29% in 2014, pressing that the government had taken various initiatives to simplify government services and bring in greater efficiency. He acknowledged the role mobile operators have played in accelerating internet reach in the country and assured those present of technology neutrality to enable mobile operators to use “any frequency to push any technology, be it 4G, LTE or 5G,” and suggested that he has been in discussions with AMTOB to redefine broadband speeds to 5 mbps in Bangladesh.
Commenting on the government’s Vision 2021 for a connected digital Bangladesh Mr. Zunaid Ahmed Palak praised the organizers and thanked them for the timely initiative. He stated that the government has already started work to revise the National Telecom Policy to update it and make it more dynamic and relevant. The minister said that he saw the need to “make the sector attractive through a consistent and transparent regulatory regime with a sight on the long-term.” The State Minister added that the government was interested to push for “special programs to be implemented through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) that would generate further internet usage.”
Representatives from a number of the top investors and global companies in the technology and ICT sector of Bangladesh, including Mr. Jon Fredrik Baksaas, President & CEO, Telenor Group; Mr. Zou Zhilei, President, Carrier Network, Huawei; Giuseppe Jannelli, Senior Managing Director–Asia Pacific Communications, Media & Technology, Accenture; Sami Kizilbash, South Asia Emerging Markets Google, and Shameem Ahsan, President BASIS were present at the summit.
Mr. Jon Fredrik Baksaas, President & CEO, Telenor Group, representing one of the main organizers of the summit, reiterated Telenor’s commitment towards a connected Bangladesh that spans nearly 20 years.
He saw that the ICT impact was very strong and that for countries like Bangladesh there are “two usages for ICT – building solutions that support local needs and also using the skills to develop and deliver ICT solutions internationally.”
Stating that the young were the main drivers of this digital era since it would be the youth in the country that would define development in this area going forward, the Telenor Group CEO added that it was important to appreciate that “a lot of the benefits of a digital Bangladesh were dependent on mobile networks,” adding, “whether we talk about 3G or 4G is an important discussion, but so is spectrum – access to spectrum is crucial for this development.”
Commenting on the sidelines of the event on the relevance of the summit in the context of what the public and private sectors can do to bring about a digital Bangladesh faster, Grameenphone CEO, Mr. Rajeev Sethi, said that “Grameenphone’s ‘Internet for All’ ambition in Bangladesh is perfectly aligned with most of what the presenters have said here today. The future of telecommunication and national development in Bangladesh is irrefutably interlinked as the one can drive the other.” Referring to various global examples, the GP CEO added how “universal data access through mobile networks have opened up avenues for public service deliveries and data collection never before imagined at incredibly low costs and with an equally incredible inclusive reach.”
Notably an MOU between Access to Information (A2i) Program of the Prime Minister’s Office and Telenor Digital was signed on the sidelines of the Summit. Under the terms of the three-year agreement Telenor Digital would work closely with a2i on social welfare Initiatives across a digital platform to address socio-economic needs and drive towards social, economic, and human development in Bangladesh. It was expected that the projects borne out of this initiative would create a frame for public and private services to become more responsive to and easier for people in remote and difficult to reach areas.
Summarizing the discussions of the day, the MoPT & IT State Minister stated that the summit was the first of many collaborative steps that the government would have to take with the private sector to generate policy change and deliver a digital connected Bangladesh.
The Digital Investment Summit was organized by Telenor Group, Accenture and BASIS, in collaboration of ICT Division, Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications & Information Technology.