Over the past 15 years, the government has intermittently used terms like 'Digital Bangladesh' and 'Smart Bangladesh' as mere political slogans, rather than implementing genuine technological advancements. Despite the global, especially regional, utilisation of technology to enhance citizens' socio-economic conditions, we have failed to achieve comparable progress. Significant funds have been spent indiscriminately, leading to the wastage of taxpayers' money and foreign loans on large projects.
The results have been largely negligible. A substantial portion of the population remains deprived of internet access, smartphones, and other digital services. Despite ample opportunities, the information technology sector has not developed into a robust industry capable of creating employment for millions of youths.
The misappropriations in this sector over the years are widely known, with white papers and media reports highlighting these issues. Looking forward, specific steps and reforms are necessary in the next one to two years to enable citizens to reap the benefits of information technology promptly.
Firstly, increasing mobile internet usage should be a priority. Without this, we cannot enhance technology utilisation in education, healthcare, and agriculture. For example, due to a lack of qualified teachers, rural students struggle with subjects like mathematics, science, and English. E-learning and e-education offer straightforward solutions to this problem.
Several startups in our country are developing quality e-learning content. If rural school students can access these resources, it could significantly improve primary and secondary education standards in a short time. However, the main obstacle is that poor and lower-middle-class families in villages lack smartphones. Even those who own them cannot utilise these services due to the high cost of mobile data.
The question arises: what can the state or government do in this regard? Notably, approximately half of the cost of 100 taka mobile data goes to the government (as spectrum fees, revenue sharing, VAT, and other taxes). The previous government treated the telecommunications sector as a major source of revenue, extracting around 30,000 crore taka annually. This state-imposed levy must be halted immediately.
Another reason for high internet prices is the imposition of mandatory artificial 'layers' and 'licenses' in the sector, allowing certain groups to profit without adding value. Entities like NTTN and IIG are such artificial layers. Removing these could reduce internet costs outside Dhaka by 25 to 30 percent immediately. Additionally, minor reforms in telecommunications could halve mobile internet prices within two to three months without any government investment.
However, reducing mobile data costs alone is insufficient; smartphone prices must also be lowered. Unfortunately, current tax and VAT policies consider mobile devices as luxury items, imposing extra VAT. This should be reduced to zero. Furthermore, mobile operators should be permitted to offer smartphones on instalment plans to consumers. Currently, only 40 percent of the population uses smartphones, compared to over 70 percent in India. By lowering mobile internet costs and increasing smartphone usage, we can bring revolutionary reforms in education, healthcare, and agriculture in a very short time.
Secondly, the government must immediately initiate the digitisation of all service deliveries. While some ministries have made progress in recent years, much of it has been superficial, aimed at creating large projects susceptible to corruption. A swift audit of the status of digitisation projects is necessary to identify and address issues.
Proper utilisation of digital systems is crucial. In many cases, projects have been implemented but remain unused. Each ministry department should appoint a 'Digital Transformation Champion' as an advisor, sourced externally on a part-time basis, to coordinate digital transformation efforts.
Additionally, the government should formulate a new policy mandating that all software and digital transformation projects over the next two to three years be executed by local software firms. This approach will reduce costs and enhance local capabilities, decreasing future dependence on foreign vendors.
Thirdly, and significantly, we need a robust information technology industry. The current development of the IT industry lacks a strategic long-term vision (previously, 'vision' merely referred to export revenue targets). Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming everything, and we cannot remain isolated from it. Our new industry vision must embrace these technological disruptions.
A vision alone is insufficient; a strategic plan is essential. We need to determine how to finance the industry (through bank financing, capital markets, domestic and foreign startup investments), expand markets domestically and internationally (possibly through protective measures), create employment opportunities for millions of youths, and utilise digital public infrastructure (such as data-sharing architecture and interoperability) to enable local IT firms to introduce new digital services. These elements should be incorporated into our digital industry strategy or roadmap.
In conclusion, like many, I am optimistic that under new circumstances and leadership, we can implement several reforms in our society and economy's digital transformation. However, amidst all considerations, we must remember that thousands have sacrificed their lives to establish an equitable society and economy. We do not want increased technology usage to exacerbate societal disparities. Our reforms should aim to make technology a tool for enhancing humanity, ensuring justice, and fostering collective prosperity in our society.
The article was published on the occasion of the 15th founding anniversary of the popular Bengali daily Kaler Kantho. The writer is the former President of the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) and CEO of Bdjobs.com.
BDST: 1357 HRS, JAN 12, 2025
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