Asia Pacific meeting on WSIS Implementation and preparation for APT ministerial Conference on 2931 M

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Asia Pacific meeting on WSIS Implementation and
preparation for APT ministerial Conference on
29-31 March 2004.Country PresentationBangladesh

• Presented By
• Md. Abdul Hakim
• Secretary
• Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory
  Commission
• Phone [phone], Fax [phone]
• E-mail trbproj_at_bttb.net.bd.

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Country Profile - Bangladesh

• Geographical location 20 º 24/ - 26 º 38/ N
• Area
  144000 SKM
• Population 135.1 Million
• Population density about 880/ sq. Km.
• Population Growth Rate 1.48
• Male-Female Ratio 51.49
• Crude Death Rate (per 1000 pop) 3.70
• Expectancy of Life 68 Male
  69 Female
• GDP Growth rate 5.2
• Per capita GDP About USD 350

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Current Status and Issues of ICT Sector

• ICT has been declared as the thrust
  sector by the Government.
• A National ICT Task Force, headed by the
  Honorable Prime Minister herself leads the ICT
  initiatives in the country.

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Importance of ICT in Bangladesh

• Information and Communication Technology being
  the most fast growing technology have tremendous
  impact on the social and economic development in
  all the developed and developing countries around
  the world. Recognizing the importance in almost
  all the spheres of national life the Government
  of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh declared
  ICT as the thrust sector for the purpose of
  development. To achieve the objectives a high
  power committee known as ICT Task Force headed
  by the Prime Minister has been formed which have
  been over viewing, coordinating and monitoring
  progress of the activities, programmes, projects
  undertaken by different ministries and
  departments. Bangladesh as a member of the family
  of Nations under the UN charter and one of the
  signatories of important protocols and
  conventions has been striving its best to
  participate, cooperate and share experience of
  other countries and contribute towards the growth
  and development of international.

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Participation of Bangladesh in WSIS

• A very high level delegation headed by the
  Honourable Prime Minister attended the World
  Summit held in December 2003 at Geneva and
  subscribed to the global programme for the
  development of ICT sector regionally and
  internationally. Commitment of the Government of
  Bangladesh is clearly manifested in the steps so
  far taken in ICT sector for its development and
  expansion.

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Participation of Bangladesh in WSIS

• Commitment/Directives of Honble Prime Minsters
  speech in
• World Summit on the Information Society,
• Conforms WSIS action Plan
• ICT can play a critical role for poverty
  alleviation.
• ICT as a priority tool can be used to fight
  hunger, malnutrition, illiteracy,
  discrimination against women, children,
  aged and disabled.
• Investment in ICT infrastructure and ICT human
  resources
• To build an ICT driven nation comprising a
  knowledge- based society by the year
  2006.

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Participation of Bangladesh in WSIS

• To establish a country-wide ICT infrastructure
  that will ensure access to information by all the
  citizens. This infrastructure will facilitate
  sustainable economic development, e-governance,
  e-commerce, public utility services and a variety
  of on-line ICT enabled services.
• To reduce Digital Divide
• To overcome financial obstacles that impede
  access to
• ICT, both regional and international
  cooperation should
• be strengthened

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Participation of Bangladesh in WSIS

• .
• To seek greater support from International
  Financial
• Institutions.
• To create Digital Solidarity Fund. This fund
  will be utilized
• to channel technical and financial assistance
  for the
• developing countries
• To attain human development and socio-economic
• targets set by the UNs Millennium Development
  Goals
• (MDG) and the Universal Declaration of Human
  Rights.

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ICT Roadmap/Action Plan

• The Ministry of Science and Information
  Communication
• MoSICT) is working as a focal point for WSIS in
  Bangladesh.
• On behalf of government of Bangladesh MoSICT is
  going to
• frame an ICT Roadmap with the financial
  assistance of the
• World Bank. During the formulation of this
  roadmap, the plan
• of action and declaration of principles adopted
  of WSIS will be
• considered with due importance. Moreover the
  issues which
• have been addressed in the plan of action and
  declaration of
• principles of WSIS will be reflected and
  accommodated in the
• PRSP (Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper) report.
  This Ministry
• is working as the lead Ministry of Information
  and
• Communication Technology andTechnology Policy
  thematic
• group to prepare this report.

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National ICT Policy

• Vision
• This Policy aims at building an ICT-driven
  nation comprising of knowledge-based society by
  the year 2006 through a country-wide
  ICT-infrastructure to ensure access to
  information by every citizen to facilitate
  empowerment of people and enhance democratic
  values and norms for sustainable economic
  development

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Major Policy Statements of the National ICT Policy

• Training and HRD
• Development of ICT Infrastructure
• RD in ICT
• Promotion of Software and Hardware Industry
• Promotion of IT Enabled Services
• Establishment of E-commerce, E-government
• IPR, ICT Act, Security
• Application of ICT in Health Care, Public
  Administration, Agriculture, Poverty alleviation
  , Social Welfare, Transportation, Tourism,
  Environment and Judiciary.
• Regional and International cooperation
• Implementation Monitoring

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Positive Steps towards Computerization

• Exemption of tax on Computer items
• Distribution of computers to schools
• Computerization of government offices
• Launching of websites of government
• (e.g. www.bangladeshgov.bd) Legislature,
  Judiciary and Local Government institutions
• Abolition of state monopoly in Telecom
• IT cell at EPB for monitoring the ICT related
  exports
• Use of Computers (at least one or more stand
  alone) at the sub-district level

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Legislation

• MOSICT has prepared a Draft IT (Electronics
  Transaction) Act-2004 and is in the process of
  enactment by the Parliament, which will legislate
  e-commerce's, digital Signature, protect cyber
  crime etc.
• Necessary provisions has been incorporated in the
  Copy Right Act 2000 (Revised) to protect the IPR
  of software.

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Telecom Infrastructure

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Telecom Infrastructure

• All analog exchanges at 64 District HQ under
  Bangladesh Telephone Telegraph Board (BTTB)
  have been converted to digital by December 2002.
  A National Digital Data Network (DDN) has been
  implemented by BTTB, which will integrate the
  whole country under a single digital network for
  voice and data communications
• As per the National Telecom Policy, 1998, the
  telecom sector (fixed line, mobile and the
  internet) is liberalized for private investment.
  Following the nation Telecom. Policy, the
  Bangladesh Telecom Act 2001 was enacted. In order
  to separate the commercial operations of BTTB
  from its regulatory functions in phases, a
  separate Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory
  Commission (BTRC) has been established in January
  2002. Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) has
  been opened to private sector operator. VSAT
  license/connection fees and overseas/long
  distance call charges have been substantially
  reduced.

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Fiber-optic Submarine Cable

• 1800 KM long optic fiber network under Bangladesh
  Railway is being utilized by the private Cellular
  Phone Operator. Fiber optic links have already
  been established in most cities of the country
  (50 out of 64 districts) areas by Bangladesh
  Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB).

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Internet

• The number of computers in the country is about
  0.5 million with about 0.1 million Internet
  users. Due to de-regulation of Very Small
  Aperture Terminal (VSAT) policy by the government
  in February 2000, the number of ISPs has grown to
  195 with individual bandwidth ranging from 64
  kbps to 2 Mbps, offering Broadband Internet
  services through DSL/HDSL modems. All 64
  districts and 35 of upazillas of Bangladesh has
  been brought under Internet coverage by BTTB
  through dial-up connections.

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Research and Education

• Computer courses are taught in the secondary and
  higher secondary school level as optional
  subjects
• Distribution of computers and accessories to
  secondary schools, including training of teachers
  of these schools
• At the present time 21 public universities, 52
  private universities, 31 colleges under the
  National University and a number of foreign
  affiliated universities/institutes are offering
  computer science courses, producing about 5000
  computer science graduates per year.
• The Ministry of Science and ICT is conducting
  PGD program through seven public Universities .

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Software Industry

• Bangladesh has already had a measure of
  penetration in the world of software markets. At
  present 83 Bangladeshi software firm have been
  regularly exporting software and ITES in the 26
  countries. Export figure is 30 million USD. To
  promote export of software EPB has opened a
  business center at silicon valley
• 
  Bangladesh ICT Business Center
• 4699 Old Iron side Drive, Suite-370
• Santa Clara, CA 95054, USA
• Phone- [phone]
• Fax- [phone]
• E-mail- mer_at_bictbc.org

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E-Commerce

• Online trading of shares in Dhaka Stock Exchange
  (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE)
• Varity of consumer items
• www.munshigi.com
• www.webbangladesh.com
• www.homeviewbangladesh.com
• B2B www.bangladeshgarments.info
• Few Private Banks are offering online banking

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e-government initiatives

• Some of the government agencies have already
  launched their websites. The official website of
  the Government of Bangladesh, www.bangladeshgov.or
  g, currently contains links to President's
  Office, Prime Minister's Office, 8 ministries and
  59 agencies. Some of these contain important
  documents like Budget, Census Data, Customs and
  Income Tax regulations, etc. Almost all
  Ministries are currently using e-mail facilities.

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e-government initiatives

• Bangladesh Government has prepared a project
  "Electronic Governance in Bangladesh Development
  of Government Administration Information System"
  for establishing e-Governance system in 38
  Ministries and Divisions. Major activities under
  this project are
• Each Ministry will be provided with necessary
  hardware, software, manpower, necessary broadband
  connectivity and LAN/WAN will be established
  among the ministries/divisions.

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e-government initiatives

• Support to ICT Task Force (SICT) project
• 890 million Taka Project entitled "Support to
  ICT Task Force"(www.sictgov.org) primarily for
  introducing e-Governance is being implemented by
  the Planning Commission under the Ministry of
  Planning. Initially 6 Divisional HQ, PM Office
  and some key ministries e.g. Health, Home
  Affairs, Land, Information, Labor, Expatriate
  Welfare, Foreign Affairs and Planning have been
  chosen to implement some basic electronic
  services ( i.e. e-mail, File Tracking, Document
  Sharing, Internet access) to visualize the part
  of a whole picture of e-government

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ICT Internship program

• ICT Internship program to provide on the Job
  training to new graduates. Bangladesh government
  will provide 60 of their monthly allowance 40
  by the organization Bangladesh government has set
  up up an ICT Incubator at the heart of the Dhaka
  city with estimated 68,000 square feet space
  area. This space is exclusively allocated to the
  private Sector ICT related organizations and
  entrepreneurs involved/engaged in software and IT
  enable services working for markets both inside
  and abroad.

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ICT Incubator

• MOSICT has set up up an ICT Incubator at the
  heart of the Dhaka city with estimated 68000
  square feet space area. This space is exclusively
  allocated to the private Sector ICT related
  organizations and entrepreneurs involved/engaged
  in software and IT enable services working for
  markets both inside and abroad.

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Future Plans

• BTTB has taken up a project to connect Bangladesh
  with the Information Superhighway through
  submarine fiber-optic cable project SEA-WE-MEA4
  with a landing site at Coxs Bazar. The facility
  is to be operational by June 2005. Based on this
  it is expected that the nationwide Internet
  backbone will be established.

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Major Initiatives in the ICT Sector
Future Plans

• A comprehensive Action Plan "Roadmap for ICT
  Development" and Poverty Reduction Strategic
  Paper (PRSP) based on the ICT Policy, 2002, WSIS
  2003, Kualalampur and Hyderabad declaration is
  under preparation.

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Future Plans

• 128 Computer Lab in Secondary Schools at 64
  district headquarter will be established.

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Future Plans

• All Upa-Zillas (Sub District) analog telephone
  exchanges will come under digital exchange within
  December 2005.
• All schools and Madrasas are to be brought
  under compulsory computer courses.
• The government is actively considering the
  implementation of a project " Computer, Training
  Internet Facilities for 10,000 Secondary
  Higher Secondary Institutions in Bangladesh

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Hi Tech Park

• A world class high-tech park will be established
  on 264.69 acres of land near Dhaka at a cost of
  2,522.5 million Taka (43.5 million USD).A number
  of sophisticated industries will be set up in
  the proposed High-Tech park.

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Infrastructure Services for Proposed Hi-Tech
Park

• Dedicated electric sub-station
• Uninterrupted power supply (Captive Power
  Generation)
• ISDN telephone exchange
• Wide bandwidth data communication connectivity
• Fibre optic LAN for high speed data transfer
• Housing and Hotel facilities
• Recreational Facilities
• Transport
• Water Supply and Sanitation
• Educational and Training institutions
• Medical Facilities

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Recommendation

• We would like to strongly recommended that we
  create a Digital Solidarity Fund. This fund will
  be utilized to channel technical and financial
  assistance for the developing countries which was
  urged by our Honble Prime Minister on WSIS. A
  regional cooperation to build up ICT
  infrastructure in APT region may be encouraged.

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• Thank
• You
• Everybody