'3G licences vital in driving economic prosperity in B'desh'
Thursday, 21 January 2010
Raihan M Chowdhury
Mobile Broadband technology will enable the Bangladesh population to embrace the range of social and economic benefits associated with increased internet penetration, said Tom Phillips, Chief Government & Regulatory Affairs Officer at the GSMA, the world industry body of GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) technology.
"In order to achieve this Bangladesh Government and regulators should consider allocating 2100 MHz spectrum immediately required for high speed packet access (HSPA) Mobile Broadband deployment," Mr Phillips told in an interview Wednesday ahead of the GSMA organized "Achieving 2021 A Digital Age for Bangladesh" workshop due today (Thursday).
He said Bangladesh currently faces a number of obstacles to widespread broadband adoption, including availability of fixed line infrastructure, which remains poor, particularly outside urban areas. Approximately 90 per cent of fixed lines in Bangladesh are concentrated in urban areas, where just 25 per cent of the population live.
"HSPA Mobile Broadband technology represents the ideal solution to deliver internet services to the Bangladeshi population," Mr Phillips added.
"With limited fixed line coverage unable to adequately serve the widely dispersed Bangladesh population, more focus must be given to releasing the urgently needed spectrum for Mobile Broadband deployment," stressed the GSMA executive.
Mr Phillips, a telecom veteran, who has been serving at GSMA, the leading industry body of GSM technology, since March 2004. Based in the United Kingdom, he leads the public policy agenda with governments on behalf of the Association's 900+ members, who in turn deliver service to over two billion mobile users worldwide.
Mobile Broadband is set to become the primary internet access route in Bangladesh for users in both rural and urban areas. It is believed that 70 per cent of urban users will prefer Mobile Broadband solutions to fixed line connections and, with the required investment put in place, 90 per cent of internet connections in Bangladesh could be wirelessly enabled in 2020.
Referring to a recent survey of the Boston Consulting Group he said, internet connectivity is set to drive significant economic benefits for Bangladesh by 2020. By stimulating the country's agricultural, service and manufacturing industries and driving new business through increases in productivity gains, internet access is expected to contribute 2.6 per cent p.a of GDP in 2020. Furthermore, broadband adoption will be a key driver in job creation, and could add more than 100,000 new positions over the next ten years and generate sustained revenues for the Bangladeshi government.
Mr Tom Phillips of the GSMA continues: "The benefits to deploying HSPA Mobile Broadband technology are clear and add further justification for the immediate allocation of spectrum. It is also important that the Bangladeshi authorities secure existing 2G spectrum allocated to its mobile operators. This will ensure network longevity and continue to attract overseas investment that will both safeguard and accelerate the growth of the mobile communications industry in Bangladesh."
Mobile Broadband technology will enable the Bangladesh population to embrace the range of social and economic benefits associated with increased internet penetration, said Tom Phillips, Chief Government & Regulatory Affairs Officer at the GSMA, the world industry body of GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) technology.
"In order to achieve this Bangladesh Government and regulators should consider allocating 2100 MHz spectrum immediately required for high speed packet access (HSPA) Mobile Broadband deployment," Mr Phillips told in an interview Wednesday ahead of the GSMA organized "Achieving 2021 A Digital Age for Bangladesh" workshop due today (Thursday).
He said Bangladesh currently faces a number of obstacles to widespread broadband adoption, including availability of fixed line infrastructure, which remains poor, particularly outside urban areas. Approximately 90 per cent of fixed lines in Bangladesh are concentrated in urban areas, where just 25 per cent of the population live.
"HSPA Mobile Broadband technology represents the ideal solution to deliver internet services to the Bangladeshi population," Mr Phillips added.
"With limited fixed line coverage unable to adequately serve the widely dispersed Bangladesh population, more focus must be given to releasing the urgently needed spectrum for Mobile Broadband deployment," stressed the GSMA executive.
Mr Phillips, a telecom veteran, who has been serving at GSMA, the leading industry body of GSM technology, since March 2004. Based in the United Kingdom, he leads the public policy agenda with governments on behalf of the Association's 900+ members, who in turn deliver service to over two billion mobile users worldwide.
Mobile Broadband is set to become the primary internet access route in Bangladesh for users in both rural and urban areas. It is believed that 70 per cent of urban users will prefer Mobile Broadband solutions to fixed line connections and, with the required investment put in place, 90 per cent of internet connections in Bangladesh could be wirelessly enabled in 2020.
Referring to a recent survey of the Boston Consulting Group he said, internet connectivity is set to drive significant economic benefits for Bangladesh by 2020. By stimulating the country's agricultural, service and manufacturing industries and driving new business through increases in productivity gains, internet access is expected to contribute 2.6 per cent p.a of GDP in 2020. Furthermore, broadband adoption will be a key driver in job creation, and could add more than 100,000 new positions over the next ten years and generate sustained revenues for the Bangladeshi government.
Mr Tom Phillips of the GSMA continues: "The benefits to deploying HSPA Mobile Broadband technology are clear and add further justification for the immediate allocation of spectrum. It is also important that the Bangladeshi authorities secure existing 2G spectrum allocated to its mobile operators. This will ensure network longevity and continue to attract overseas investment that will both safeguard and accelerate the growth of the mobile communications industry in Bangladesh."