Bangladesh enters 4G era on Feb 19

[Bilal9]

It is a bit late actually soon the world will move to 5G but anyways welcome to the club and take the seat somewhere in the back rows

I understand the trolling.

But they don't really jive with facts.

Pakistanis believe in many myths - and this is one of them. Cellphones (mostly smartphones nowadays) are cheap locally in Bangladesh. especially the ones bais (buas) and rickshaw-pullers need. In fact (unlike assembled smartphones in India and Pakistan) we MAKE the damn things locally from scratch.

Having 4G when majority people can't really use it cheaply (you need low tariff rates) is pointless. 4G affords slightly higher speed compared to 3G which is most often used for video, games, music etc. But how many people in the subcontinent use cellphones this way? How many are watching serial movies and shows on cellphones with the high tariff rates? Plus 4G speeds are really low in the subcontinent compared to say US, Korea, Japan.

Selling 4G (soon 5G too) frequency spectrum like cheap whores is great (govt. percentage wallahs make tons of money), but how many takers percentage wise are there in the subcontinent? In fact accessing Internet via 4G cellphones is also a sham in the subcontinent. Here 4G is in name only and is a marketing gimmick. The govt. knows it and so do the trickster cellphone providers.

More on point, Internet use penetration itself in Pakistan is quite low percentage-wise compared with Bangladesh (and you are probably right - it has something to do with literacy rates). In 2014 Bangladesh had almost twice the number of Internet users compared to Pakistan (for that matter double that of Australia too). The number in 2018 I reckon has gone up many-fold now, with increased economical growth. A lot of this is due to increased cellphone usage. Bangladesh percentage-wise has much higher cellphone penetration, which is a well-regarded secret. You will only find this in UN or ITU reports. But not on the Times or WSJ.

Look in the link here for Internet penetration rates where Bangladesh exceeds both India and Pakistan BY FAR.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/281668/internet-penetration-in-southeast-asian-countries/

 

[Avicenna]

Whaaaaa?? I thought he was a pacifist Dharmic person?? Say it ain't so.....

She you mean.

 

[Bilal9]

Mobile Is Eating Bangladesh
A Comprehensive Collection of our Coverage of Mobile and and its Impact on Different Industries

Future Startup Insight
April 15, 2017

Over the past years -
Bangladesh has experienced unprecedented growth in mobile phone penetration. According to BTRC, the country has over 117 million mobile phone subscribers and growing. Bangladesh is a true mobile-first nation, according to data from StatCounter GlobalStats, in February 2017, more than 73% of internet users came through mobile whereas the number was only 25% for desktop. Although feature-phone dominates the overall usage, the country has also been seeing an extraordinary smartphone growth, thanks to cheap Chinese handset.

This has implications not only for tech but also for many other industries. People spend an usually high amount of time with their handheld devices. Moreover, mobile allows users to do things on the go. As a result, mobile is changing how we communicate, consume, shop and transact. In the coming years, it will change many other aspects of our daily life.

Understanding mobile and its implications on our life and living is one of our obsessions at FS. Over the past years, we have closely followed the growth of MFS, smartphone, mobile internet, digital health services, various on-demand services and more. And we plan to do even more in the coming years. Below we have put together a list of our mobile coverage to help you navigate how mobile is changing the way we communicate, consume, transact and more importantly live.

1. Mobile Internet

I. Device Most People Use To Access Internet In Bangladesh Proves That We Are a Truly Mobile-first Nation

In February 2017, more than 73% of internet users came through mobile, 25% used desktops and tablet users accounted for under 1%.

II. Mobile Data Business Continues To Grow For Top Three Telecom Operators Despite The Expensive and Poor Nature Of the Service

With the rapid growth of smartphone penetration, the number of people using internet through their handheld devices is on the rise resulting in a sharp growth in data revenue for the operators. Top three mobile operators have seen a steady growth in data revenue since the launch of 3G in 2013

2. Handset market

I. Mobile Handset sales To See 25% Growth In 2017

Handset importers of the country are eyeing a 25% growth in total sales of handsets of all kinds in 2017.

II. Here Is The Growth Of Mobile Handsets Market In Bangladesh

The mobile handset market is one of the fastest growing markets in Bangladesh. One important distinction though is, back in 2012, it was basic phones that came in bulk and today it is smartphones.

III. Symphony and Samsung continue to rule the handset market

Symphony and Samsung continue to rule the handset market in Bangladesh, in both feature phone and smartphone segments. A recent report released by Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers Association (BMPIA) showed the data.

IV. Smartphone Growth Continues

According to Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers’ Association (BMPIA), smartphones import saw a staggering 57.44% rise in the first half, January to June, of 2016 compared to the same period last year. Around 35.71 lakh pieces of smartphones were imported during this period.

Smartphones Are Pretty Cheap, Yet Unaffordable For Most Average Bangladeshi
The affordable pricing of Chinese manufactured phones has contributed largely to this growth. At $123, the average retail price of a smartphone in Bangladesh is the lowest among 17 developing markets analysed by Mary Meeker’s Internet Trends Report for 2016.

3. MFS

I. Mobile Financial Service 101: Major Trends In MFS In Bangladesh

Bangladesh has registered significant growth in adoption of Mobile Banking. This sector posted an average 60%+ growth in all major metric, recent data released by Bangladesh Bank shows.

II. Top Mobile Money Services In Bangladesh By Market Share

Bangladesh accounts for more than 8% of total mobile money accounts globally. The service has grown rapidly, with more than 12 companies offering mobile money services on the market. Competition in the space has heightened in the recent years. Multiple players are now gradually taking into bKash’s market share.

III. The Rise Of Mobile Money Services

The first mobile money service, bKash, launched in the country in 2011. It did not take much time to grow. Today, Bangladesh accounts for more than 8% of total mobile money accounts globally. The service has grown rapidly, with more than 12 companies offering mobile money services on the market. We have also seen a rise in standalone mobile wallet services launched in collaboration with mobile money services like Pay 365, Payza and couple more.


4. Remittance

I. Inside bKash’s Big Move To Make Remittance Transfer Into Your Mobile Phones A Reality

bKash account holders can now receive international remittance directly on their mobile phones. The breakthrough, result of a collaboration between MasterCard, Western Union and bKash, will immediately benefit 22 million bKash account holders in Bangladesh.


5. Messaging and advertising

I. Infobip, the London-based Enterprise Mobile Messaging Company, Begins Operations In Dhaka

An increasing number of global technology players are showing interest in Bangladesh. Infobip, a London-based company that provides enterprise mobile messaging services in 44 countries opened its office in Dhaka and launched operations in partnership with Wintel Limited, a local mobile content providing company.

II. Inside G&R’s Renewed Pursuit To Lead Mobile Advertising In Bangladesh

G&R, largely a PC age company, suddenly saw a soaring mobile user growth and mobile leading the way to more eyeballs. According to data from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, the number of internet users almost doubled in the last two years; it shot up from 30.48 million in 2013 to 58.31 million in February 2016. Of the 58 million active internet subscribers, nearly 96% are on mobile and more than 10 million use smartphones.
G&R also confirmed that it’s mobile inventory surpassed its desktop inventory last year.


6. Health, agriculture, commerce and data

I. Tonic 101: Inside The Ambition Of Telenor Health

Started in 2015, Telenor Health uses mobile technology to deliver a host of health services in emerging markets. Launched in Bangladesh, its flagship product Tonic now boasts 3 million subscribers and growing.

II. Grameen Intel, Robi Join Hands, Introduces ‘Mobile Krishē’ For Farmers

Robi Axiata Limited, the second largest mobile operator in the country, has partnered with Grameen Intel Social Business Ltd (GISB) to cooperate with each other on various Information Technology solutions using telecom network to connect the unconnected population including and especially farmers.

III. Smartphones Dominate Global Mobile Travel Bookings

Mobile is changing travel bookings globally. And smartphones dominated several subcategories in mobile bookings. According to a report by Criteo, smartphones dominated hotel and airline bookings globally while package bookings were largely done by Tablets.

IV. Mobile Commerce Is Surging In Asia, Who Will Win In Bangladesh?

An increasing number of consumers in Asia Pacific are embracing new mobile technologies for online shopping, according to a survey conducted by MasterCard on mobile shopping trend in Asia Pacific.

V. How Field Buzz Plans To Revolutionize Field Operations Using Smartphones

Field Buzz is a software system that uses smartphones to help organizations manage their remote or dispersed operations. Field Buzz is flexible enough to be used for most typical “field worker” activities such as registering customers or beneficiaries, tracking which products or services have been delivered where and to whom, tracking payments and credits, conducting surveys and evaluations/inspections, etc. We help customize the system for each organization’s specific needs.


7. Transportation and mobility

I. Mobility and Transportation Market Map: 7+ Startups Trying On-demand Transportation in Dhaka

Mobility is a big problem in Dhaka, as we wrote in a recent report. It is hard to get from one place to another and public transportation system is showing little sign of improvement.

Hence, we are seeing an influx in the number of mobility and on-demand transportation services in Dhaka. We have over 9 startups operating in the space.

https://futurestartup.com/2017/04/15/mobile-is-eating-bangladesh/

Smartphone Growth Continues

Future Startup

Data Lab
September 22, 2016

Smartphones import in the country continues to grow, according to a report by the Daily Star. Mobile handsets market is one of the fastest growing markets in the country. However, back in 2012, the market was largely dominated by feature phones, but after 2014 Smartphones started to pick up and now accounts for a significant share of the total import value.

According to Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers’ Association (BMPIA), smartphones import saw a staggering 57.44% rise in the first half, January to June, of 2016 compared to the same period last year. Around 35.71 lakh pieces of smartphones were imported during this period.

Smartphones also accounted for 26.35% of the total handset imports in the first half of 2016, up from 20.88% a year earlier. Total handsets import has also grown by 23.84% year-on-year to a staggering 1.35 crore handsets.

Players

Local brand Symphony dominates the segment in volume with its low-cost smartphones while Samsung leads in value. Symphony accounted for 43.8% of the total smartphones imported during the period where Samsung accounted for 18.8% during the same period. But Samsung suppressed Symphony in import value. The import value of the brand was 34% of total import compared to Symphony’s 30.3%.

Walton, another local brand, accounted for 9% of the smartphones import volume in the first half, followed by Indian brand Lava 6.2% and Chinese manufacturers Huawei and Oppo 5.3 percent and 3.5 percent respectively, and other brands 13.4 percent.

She you mean.

That person is a woman? Having a picture of a woman on the handle does not mean anything. So far as I know.

Really? Because outside of this part of the forum he also hates Iranians too. Apparently he's been barraging them since he first joined. Sad!

Some people have inbuilt inadequacies and resultant anger (small-sized hands, palms and other organs?) Which they compensate with by being nasty with people, buying firearms, large cars and even large pickup trucks (here in the US).....

 

[Haris Mansoor]

February 14, 2018

Govt to earn $593m from spectrum auction

The government is set to earn about $593.33 million from spectrum auction and offering technological neutrality to the top three mobile operators, which is less than half of its target.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission will award 4G licences to Grameenphone, Banglalink, Robi and Teletalk on February 19, taking Bangladesh into the fourth generation data service era.

The telecom regulator had targeted to collect Tk 11,000 crore ($1,340 million) from the spectrum auction and technology neutrality.

The regulator put up a total of 46.4 MHz spectrum in different three bands for auction but less than 30 percent was purchased by the operators.

“We are not happy,” said Shahjahan Mahmood, chairman of the BTRC.

TIM Nurul Kabir, secretary general of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh, who attended the spectrum auction held at Dhaka Club yesterday as an observer, said the government could have earned more were the floor price lower.


“We failed in 3G because of the higher spectrum price,” he added.

What is the usage percentage of Internet for e-Commerce and in Software Development sectors? Is there any estimate of the boost in eCommerce and Software Development due to 4G?

 

[Homo Sapiens]

http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-02/19/c_136985832.htm
Bangladesh enters 4G era as regulator issues licenses


Source: Xinhua 2018-02-19 23:44:16
DHAKA, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Bangladesh Monday formally entered 4G era as the country's telecom regulator issued licences to four operators, paving the way for launching the fourth generation of mobile telecommunications services.


The licences were formally handed over at a ceremony in capital Dhaka.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Chairman Shahjahan Mahmood handed over license to four operators - Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink and Teletalk.

The BTRC held an auction for frequency allocation on Feb. 13.

The country's largest cell phone operator Grameenphone, and the third largest telecom operator Banglalink acquired new frequencies while second largest operator Robi and Teletalk did not participate in the auction and will use the existing frequencies to offer 4G services.

Operators said they are ready to launch 4G services as soon as possible in Bangladesh where the total number of mobile phone subscribers reached 145.114 million at the end of last year.

Experts said the launch of 4G services could further bolster the government's efforts in minimizing the "digital divide" in Bangladesh, which is poorly served by broadband Internet services.

Officials said Bangladesh mobile users will now have access to high-speed 4G Internet through their mobile phones at a relatively lower rate.

Bangladesh in October 2012 officially entered the third generation of wireless communications. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the long-awaited 3G services via a state-run cellphone operator Teletalk.

 

[Bilal9]

I hope our experiment with 4G is better than what India's has been. Their 4G is in name only, as usual.

WEAK CONNECTION
It’s not just your network, India’s 4G speed is rubbish

Slowest in the world. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

WRITTEN BY
Ananya Bhattacharya@_ananyaaa
February 23, 2018 Quartz India


India’s 4G availability is robust, but the data speed is simply painful.

India is ranked 14th in the world for 4G accessibility, according to new research by data analytics firm OpenSignal. Users in India have access to network 86.26% of the time. This ranking is based on 4G data usage on nearly five million devices in 88 countries between Oct. 01 and Dec. 29 last year.

However, the country has a dismal download connection speed of 6.07 megabits per second (Mbps) when connecting to long-term evolution (LTE) networks, a standard for high-speed wireless communication. India’s “4G networks lacked the capacity to deliver connection speeds much faster than 3G technologies,” the OpenSignal report says.

India logged the worst network speed. (OpenSignal)

4G network speeds are affected by a range of factors such as “how much spectrum is devoted to LTE, whether it has adopted new 4G technologies like LTE Advanced, how densely networks are built and how much congestion is on those networks,” the report says. India, unfortunately, is lagging on many of those accounts.

One of the reasons for companies going lax on 4G speeds could be expensive airwaves.

For instance, telecom firms unanimously boycotted the 2016 spectrum auction of the premier 700 MHz spectrum meant for LTE networks. They argued that the base price of the auction, Rs11,485 crore a unit, was too high.

Besides, few networks implement advanced technology.

“Airtel combines 2300 MHz and 1800 MHz spectrum for LTE-A. New entrant (Reliance) Jio was also reportedly testing this, but there is no official word on this yet,” digital and telecom news site Medianama wrote.

The cheap data boom, courtesy Jio, has only worsened the network congestion—a problem the Mukesh Ambani-led firm is now trying to solve using over 200,000 public wifi hotspots to reduce call drops and improve data speeds.

 

[Nilgiri]

Look in the link here for Internet penetration rates where Bangladesh exceeds both India and Pakistan BY FAR.

@war&peace @Major Sam @django

Pay no attention to this twerp labelling Pakistan members willy nilly as "bharti" false flaggers when they don't agree with him.

When it comes to internet penetration, he will cherry pick whatever "source" has laundered BD own survey/BTRAC raw "standards" (of what an internet connection is). Literally BTRAC says every IP is an individual using the internet lol (instead of applying an appropriate correction factor or just end-user surveying in first place)....not even a basic subnet mask or MAC analysis is used lol in order to get the biggest possible number (which is not what any other country worth its beans does). Not surprising given:

https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/repository-for-bd-statistics-bbs-quality-credibility.525379/


When the much better data analysis (actual use + accounting for multiple connections) is done, what do we get?:

http://www.internetlivestats.com/internet-users-by-country/

Pakistan = 18%
BD = 13%

Its really surprising given Pakistan literally spends like 10 times on automobiles than Bangladesh does?

 

[war&peace]

@war&peace @Major Sam @django

Pay no attention to this twerp labelling Pakistan members willy nilly as "bharti" false flaggers when they don't agree with him.

When it comes to internet penetration, he will cherry pick whatever "source" has laundered BD own survey/BTRAC raw "standards" (of what an internet connection is). Literally BTRAC says every IP is an individual using the internet lol (instead of applying an appropriate correction factor or just end-user surveying in first place)....not even a basic subnet mask or MAC analysis is used lol in order to get the biggest possible number (which is not what any other country worth its beans does). Not surprising given:

https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/repository-for-bd-statistics-bbs-quality-credibility.525379/


When the much better data analysis (actual use + accounting for multiple connections) is done, what do we get?:

http://www.internetlivestats.com/internet-users-by-country/

Pakistan = 18%
BD = 13%

Its really surprising given Pakistan literally spends like 10 times on automobiles than Bangladesh does?

Isn't it ironic to make such a claim on a thread titled "Bd gets 4G on Feb. 19, 2018" while the world is preparing to move to 5g and it may very well be introduced in some places by the end of the year. If it makes them happy that they ahead of Pakistan and India in terms of internet penetration, I won't snatch that happiness from them

 

[Nilgiri]

Isn't it ironic to make such a claim on a thread titled "Bd gets 4G on Feb. 19, 2018" while the world is preparing to move to 5g and it may very well be introduced in some places by the end of the year. If it makes them happy that they ahead of Pakistan and India in terms of internet penetration, I won't snatch that happiness from them

Yep this is a feelz based subforum essentially.

 

[HariPrasad]

Good meanwhile reliance has started booking 5 G Smart phones at just a throw away price of rs 3000 with one year unlimited usage.

 

[Bilal9]

Isn't it ironic to make such a claim on a thread titled "Bd gets 4G on Feb. 19, 2018" while the world is preparing to move to 5g and it may very well be introduced in some places by the end of the year. If it makes them happy that they ahead of Pakistan and India in terms of internet penetration, I won't snatch that happiness from them

Claiming 4G/5G services (mostly in name only, bandwidth is Sh1t anyways, as I posted with India's example above) using a few cheap routers and cell towers does not make any country in the subcontinent a first world country all of a sudden. It only means the cell companies are making a few bucks by way of deception.

The slums don't go away, and the corruption and the endemic misery remains as always.

Pretense is a sad thing.

The links and articles I posted was not out of jealousy but to point out the basic misunderstanding of the role of cellphone communication (and therefore internet access) in the subcontinent.

Unlike Dubai, London, Singapore and Tokyo, people in the subcontinent use cellphones for more practical tasks because of an absence of other avenues of communication - unlike in first world countries. That access to the poorest of the poor is the focus in Bangladesh. Speed is the least important factor. 3G was sufficient for almost all services.

In Bangladesh, cellphones are being used in many innovative ways to

• transfer cash,
• as a training tool for adults as well as children,
• for tele-medicine,
• for animal husbandry,
• for agricultural advisory services and of course,
• as basic teleconferencing services accessed in the remotest villages etc. etc. (see below for a story by GMB Akash).

In Bangladesh - every one of the 64,000 villages have access to cellphone communication - courtesy of cellphone info-ladies program. And this program is only one of a half-dozen similar ones. This bottom-line/baseline accessibility to communication is the basis of a successful communication infrastructure, not 4G/5G for a few juveniles from a few rich families which brings little practical benefit.

Having or not having 4G/5G is pointless as majority of Indians or Pakistanis will gain little use out of these expensive high speed services (which they cannot even afford).

GMB AKASH
A PHOTOJOURNALIST'S BLOG

• PROFILE

Info Ladies – Women Heroes of Rural Bangladesh


Women have to go beyond any boundaries they might have set for themselves. Thinking something that a woman can’t do because that particular thing is a man’s domain, is where she is restricting herself! Women have incredible power. Just inspiration can help them to grow their dreams. As a photographer every day I am capturing woman’s battles, voices, dreams and triumphs. By putting light on their lives and dreams I would like to tell stories that the world should know about! Welcome all of you to the heroic world of INFO Ladies of Bangladesh!

The Info Ladies cover many miles on their journeys from village to village. With their bicycles and laptops, the Info Ladies of Bangladesh bring the world a sense of independence from one village to the next. This has changed the country, and their lives, too. The young women have become role models for a whole generation.

Info ladies are moving towards different villages for attending clients by riding their bicycle. Their day starts at 6 am of the morning and finishes at 10 pm of the night. Gaibanda, Bangladesh



The Info Ladies cover many miles on their journeys from village to village/www.gmb-akash.com

Info lady Farhana is discussing in farmer’s session with farmers and showing them useful video content about fertilizer as well an awareness building video about arsenic. mothor para, Ghori doho, Gaibanda



The meetings in the villages are free, with a charge for some services/www.gmb-akash.com

Sathi is the most successful Info Lady in the Gaibandha district. Between banana trees and flood swamps, she has opened an info shop in her home village Jarabarsha. A banner in front of the shop rattles in the wind. It reads: “We are independent because we are Info Ladies.”

Info ladies of Shagata often meet together and share their knowledge, experiences and wisdom with each other. They are well organized and having good boding among them though their business is independent individually but they often spends time together for more practicing their expertise. Gaibanda, Bangladesh



The Info Lady is wearing her info lady uniform, a blue cape and pink trousers. Amid the dark green landscape, she shines like a ladybird on a dandelion leaf/ www.gmb-akash.com

The corrugated iron on the roof shines more brightly than anywhere else in the area. A table mounted on the trunk of a tree lists all the services Sathi offers. Sathi offers Skype calls, online bank transfers, online university application assistance, digital camera rentals, mobile phone ringtone downloads and photography services. She gives pregnancy tests, measures diabetics, takes blood pressure, identifies blood type and even sells underwear for women. Recently she opened her pre-primary school with a vision to create an example for the village.


Shathi is sitting in her info shop and browsing in internet whiles few of her clients coming to her from far villages to receive services. Jhara barsha, Sakhata, Gaibanda


Sathi in her info shop which provides for her whole family/ www.gmb-akash.com

Sathi is a 24 year-old petite woman with a barely perceptible smile and deliberate movements. When a man pushes his broken mobile phone across the counter, she unscrew the lid of the phone, fumbles around with the speakers for a few seconds with a metal pin and declares: “it’s broken, I will order a new one,” without expecting any rejection. Sathi has a scar with six stitches on her right ankle from a fall from her bicycle when she still had problems keeping her balance. She proudly shows the scar. Laughing loudly while explaining how difficult it was to convince her father about bicycle riding, she says, “I learned the basics of computers in three days, but it took months to convince my father to let me ride a bicycle.” But now she has changed the financial face of her family. In nearly three years of this job she built new house and renovated the old shop which is now the famous info shop.

Shathi is repairing a mobile phone during seating in her info shop. Jhara barsha, Sakhata, Gaibanda



Sathi has to go from village to village to give her services. On that humid day Sathi repeatedly grabs the corner of her pink dupatta and wipes sweat off her face. She is wearing her Info Lady uniform, a blue cape and pink trousers. Amid the dark green landscape, she shines like a ladybird on a dandelion leaf. Sathi cycles past men in waist-deep water. The men stop their work for a moment and look up. Sathi nods in greeting. When she finally arrives in the village, she rings her bicycle bell three times, and women immediately start crowding around her.

Info lady Mahfuza is going to client house by the way through her house. vanga mor, vorot khali, Gaibanda



An Info Lady is a nurse, mail carrier, fashion consultant, farmer, photographer, psychologist – all in one.

A short while later the women they roll out fabric bags to sit on and Sathi shows them a film about feeding infants. Then in a firm voice, she repeats every single fact: “You need to wash your breast before you breast-feed your baby. You do not need milk powder from the store; your breast milk is perfectly fine until the fifth month. After this, pay attention to adequate amounts of calcium and proteins. Have you all seen which foods contain these substances?” The women, some twice as old as Sathi, look at her. Their silent glances show how much respect they feel for someone so knowledgeable.

Audiences of Info lady during a farmer session. Most of the time info ladies get good number of audience from the village as Laptop is still a untouchable tool for villagers. And information shared by info ladies in the session is always fruitful for villagers. Gaibanda, Bangladesh



The meetings in the villages are free, with a charge for some services/ www.gmb-akash.com

Sathi’s working day ends with accounting. Using a computer programme, she notes every cent she earns. The group meetings are free, but a digital passport photo costs 10 cents, a blood pressure measurement costs 5 cents. Sathi has earned the equivalent of 2.60 Euros – a moderate day’s income. Last month, her income totaled 133 Euros. By comparison, a farmer in the district of Gaibandha earns about 60 Euros a month.

After returning from work Shathi’s mother Shoma Begum is welcoming her in the yard. Her mother is proud and determines to support Shathi entirely in her journey. Jhara barsha, Sakhata, Gaibanda



Many young women resist the opposition of their parents when they become Info Ladies. Sathi’s mother is different. She says: “All women bear children, but not all give birth to children as important as this one”

In a country where less than a quarter of the population uses the Internet and where access is both slow and expensive, Bangladesh’s ‘Info Ladies’ offer a series of vital services to people living in remote, rural parts of the country. The “Info Ladies” project was launched in 2008 by a local non-governmental organisation called D.net. The same organisation had previously sent so-called “mobile ladies” through Bangladesh – young women with mobile phones, who enabled the inhabitants to communicate with people outside their village. When most inhabitants eventually owned a mobile phone, the Info Ladies were launched. They now offer mobile Internet, in a country with 152 million people, of whom five million have access to the worldwide web. D.net works together with local organisations to implement the project. In Gaibandha district, the NGO Udayan is involved. The name translates as “the resurrection”. The Info Ladies are trained for several weeks in the barracks of Udayan.


Info Lady Mahfuza is crossing a flooded area by banana made raft by herself to attend a client. vanga mor, vorot khali, Gaibanda

In the rainy season, the Info Ladies cross the water on hastily cobbled together rafts or bridges/ www.gmb-akash.com

A Bangladeshi Info Lady is not just a woman with a laptop; she’s an entrepreneurial businesswoman bringing isolated people a piece of the world with valuable information and services. Info Ladies managed to change the perspective of villagers in many ways. Dohrmina, a village elder, now gives advice to the youth that would have been unthinkable in her day. She says: go to school, secure your own income, and don’t have too many children. Dohrmina says: “We didn’t even know what independence meant.”

Info Lady Farhana is measuring pressure of Shahida begum (80) And after finding low pressure she suggests her to take nutritious foods. mothor para, Ghori doho, Gaibanda
2.

Like Dohrmina villagers have been paying more attention to their health now the Info Ladies make their visits/ www.gmb-akash.com

Info Lady Mahfuza is measuring weight of ( Jahanara , 18 years old )a pregnant village woman. vanga mor, vorot khali, Gaibanda



After measuring weight of the pregnant woman Mahfuza says, “You need to eat more,”

Of the 10 Info Ladies from Sathi’s group, seven are still active after three years. The Info Lady Mahfuza who is one of them rests her bike on the kickstand. Mahfuza is 22 years old and an Info Lady. She is part of a project in which young women use modern technology to distribute information to the most remote corners of Bangladesh. Mahfuza’s former classmates are now all married; most have one or two children. Some girls are married by the age of 13 or 14 and by the age of 20, parents actively look for a husband for their daughters. But Mahfuza learned to hold her head up.


Relatives of Tajul islam is talking in skype . Tajul islam is living in Saudi Arabia for ten years and last one year his family is able to see him through skype. vanga mor, vorot khali, Gaibanda

Abul kashem , father of Tajul islam is talking in skype . Tajul islam is living in Saudi Arabia for ten years and last one year his family is able to see him through skype. Tajul islam asked his father to bring their new baby cow ( Bohon ) in the skype and let him see it. father is talking in the skype and showing their new cattle to his son. vanga mor, vorot khali, Gaibanda



A camera transmits the image of the extended family – with the brown calf which has been given the name Bohon – from their village of Bangamur in the north of the country, showing the courtyard with its highly polished loam clay and hastily-stacked hay bales all the way to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital. Tajul Islam, son, husband, nephew, cousin – and sorely missed by his family for a decade – lives there, a distance of some 4,500 kilometres, slaving away on building sites and sending all the money he has left to the village. The time they talk every week via Skype is their only chance to hear and see each other.



Meanwhile Mahfuza sits under a roof made of bamboo leaves and takes measures the blood pressure of a pregnant woman. Someone from the crowd shouts: “she’s expecting a boy.” Mahfuzaa does not even look up from the blood pressure meter as she responds: “boy or girl, it does not matter, both are equally good.” Another lesson learned. Mahfuza is contacted by girls who need underwear but do not dare go into a store. She then goes shopping for them. Farmers ask Mahfuza what is wrong with their rice plants. She photographs spots on the leaves and sends the images to an expert in Dhaka.

8.A grand mother comes to Info lady Mahfuza for taking her advice for her grand son who is four months old and having health problem after birth. vanga mor, vorot khali, Gaibanda



A grandmother holds her grandson in her arms. He seems apathetic, his arms and legs are hanging limply. Mahfuza throws a quick sideways glance to the mother standing by the roadside. “Did you have him vaccinated as I had suggested?” The mother shakes her head imperceptibly. Mahfuza exhales audibly, stroking her hand over the baby’s head. She promises to come back in a few days and take the child to a mobile clinic.

3.Info Lady Mahfuza is taking picture of Munira 18. Her husband asked her to book info lady for photography. She got married ten months ago and her husband lives in Dhaka, he will take this photo with him when he will go back. vanga mor, vorot khali, Gaibanda

Munira 18 and info lady Mahfuza is watching photographs of Munira after completing their photo shoot. vanga mor, vorot khali, Gaibanda



The Info Lady Mahfuza also is a photographer. She sends a photo of a villager in her finery to her husband in the capital Dhaka/ www.gmb-akash.com

As a result, the women themselves experience a sense of freedom, empowerment and economic independence. This has started to change their country, still struggling with improving the historical violation of women’s right. They have become heroes for an entire generation of young women by giving them hope and inspiration to also be able to work and enjoy personal freedom in a predominantly Muslim country. Although proving to be a driving force of positive change and transformation, these Info Ladies have had to “walk on thorns”. They have fought against social stigma, a conservative Muslim society as well as deep cultural prejudices against the value and rights of women.


If they were able to change their lives so radically, why should this not also be possible for others?

Info Lady Mahfuza is going a long way to attend a client by riding bicycle. vanga mor, vorot khali, Gaibanda

Info ladies works in different unions and in different villages, sometimes they start from one place and goes to their directions to give services to door to door.

 

[war&peace]

The links and articles I posted was not out of jealousy but to point out the basic misunderstanding of the role of cellphone communication (and therefore internet access) in the subcontinent.

Unlike Dubai, London, Singapore and Tokyo, people in the subcontinent use cellphones for more practical tasks because of an absence of other avenues of communication - unlike in first world countries. That access to the poorest of the poor is the focus in Bangladesh. Speed is the least important factor. 3G was sufficient for almost all services.

In Bangladesh, cellphones are being used in many innovative ways to

• transfer cash,
• as a training tool for adults as well as children,
• for tele-medicine,
• for animal husbandry,
• for agricultural advisory services and of course,
• as basic teleconferencing services accessed in the remotest villages etc. etc. (see below for a story by GMB Akash).

In Bangladesh - every one of the 64,000 villages have access to cellphone communication - courtesy of cellphone info-ladies program. And this program is only one of a half-dozen similar ones. This bottom-line/baseline accessibility to communication is the basis of a successful communication infrastructure, not 4G/5G for a few juveniles from a few rich families which brings little practical benefit.

Having or not having 4G/5G is pointless as majority of Indians or Pakistanis will gain little use out of these expensive high speed services (which they cannot even afford).

Thanks for the nice reply!! I agree with you about the role it plays in Bd but to let you know in Pakistan also its role is not limited to just calling, taking selfies and texting but you can book taxis through apps, transfer money, etc
BTW 4G is not an expensive service in Pakistan, if it is available in your city, you can just the suitable sim and package...It is reasonably priced and most people can afford it. However mobiles are quite under utilised as compared to the Europe, as here I can do all most all my daily tasks other than office work ( which requires a bigger screen), I can check my bank statements, pay my bills, purchase tickets for metro, train, buses, flights, check-in with mobile without even needing to print boarding passes, verify my id to log in my bank accounts and many govt/official services, keep an eye on my home and switch on and off devices on top of traditional tasks... just to name a few..

 

[Baby Leone]

Thanks for the nice reply!! I agree with you about the role it plays in Bd but to let you know in Pakistan also its role is not limited to just calling, taking selfies and texting but you can book taxis through apps, transfer money, etc
BTW 4G is not an expensive service in Pakistan, if it is available in your city, you can just the suitable sim and package...It is reasonably priced and most people can afford it. However mobiles are quite under utilised as compared to the Europe, as here I can do all most all my daily tasks other than office work ( which requires a bigger screen), I can check my bank statements, pay my bills, purchase tickets for metro, train, buses, flights, check-in with mobile without even needing to print boarding passes, verify my id to log in my bank accounts and many govt/official services, keep an eye on my home and switch on and off devices on top of traditional tasks... just to name a few..

all these services are available in Pakistan too and most of the city dwellers are using them through mobile.

 

[Valar.]

Came here to congratulate BD but saw usual D!CK measuring contest by bdeshis. How typical, how predictable

 

[war&peace]

Came here to congratulate BD but saw usual D!CK measuring contest by bdeshis. How typical, how predictable

Mate, let them be happy with that. It won't turn into a competition if we don't reply
I think they have done a few good things like introducing these mobile phone ladies who teach illiterate or less educated people about how to use the phone. As I see many old people cannot use mobile phones effectively even in Europe though the age group and numbers are very different.