In the last ten years, the internet sector has seen phenomenal growth. Though bandwidth price fell by more than 90 percent, Internet rates remained same though speed and subscribers have risen.
It’s believed that Internet speed has gone up ten times.
According to telecom regulator, until Aug 31 this, the number of internet users in the country is 90.5 million.
As many as 84.7 million people access internet through mobile phones, 5.73 million are broadband internet users and the remaining 83,000 are WiMax users, says the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.
With 3G and 4G, internet speed has increased. By 2019, broadband Internet will reach union levels all over the country.
“We have completed the fundamental work for Internet in the last ten years; building infrastructure is over and we want to take Internet to everyone,” said Telecoms and ICT Minister Mustafa Jabbar.
“We will go for 5G in 2021,” he told Bangla Tribune
Lamenting the absence of enough local online content, the minister said, “We need more content; if we do not have our products then users will become dependent on foreign content.”
Internet price was lowered only once in ten years. On the other hand, bandwidth price has tumbled 90 percent. In 2004, bandwidth was sold for Tk 72,000 (per MbPS), which is less than Tk 600 now.
Internet Service Providers’ Association of Bangladesh’ General Secretary Imdadul Huq, says a subscriber now gets super-fast, 10 MbPS net as opposed to 1 MbPS in 2008 for the same price.
Ten years ago, bandwidth used in the country was 120 GbPS which now stands at 600 GbPS.