B\\\'desh launches \\\'free\\\' mobile internet

Bangladesh is set to join a global platform, internet.org, to get free internet services through mobile phones, but concerns over privacy remains, officials said.
They said Robi Axiata Ltd, a leading telecom operator, has already joined the internet.org to provide free data services for its clients, while other companies will join the platform soon.
"Initially, we're introducing the facebook-led internet.org in partnership with the Robi," said a senior official of the ICT ministry.
Internet.org is a partnership between social networking site Facebook and some cell-phone companies across the world to bring 'affordable' selected internet services to poorer countries.
Supported by internet.org, the free internet service was launched in many developing countries including Kenya, Gambia and Ghana, while Bangladesh is the latest to join.
The ICT official told the FE that initially, users will get some selected internet services related to e-commerce, jobsites, browsing national web portals, government sites, Wikipedia and some news portals.
State minister for the ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak will formally launch the services at a city hotel today (Sunday), where representatives from the internet.org and Robi will be present.
Ekram Kabir, Robi's vice president, communications and corporate responsibility, told the FE that his company is going the launch the services Sunday. He declined to give further details.
Mahmud Hossain, chief corporate affairs officer of top mobile telephony firm Grameenphone Ltd, said his company is in talks with Facebook and the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission to join the platform.
"We've clarified few regulatory issues and legal aspects with the authorities concerned including Facebook ," the GP spokesman said.  
Another GP official said Grameenphone is concerned about the customers' privacy issue as whenever any user accesses an approved website through internet.org, the operator wires the number to the social media giant in order to check if the user is eligible for the services.
However, the internet users have welcomed the initiative, saying it would help them take the digital opportunities.
"It will be an internet revolution for the nation," said Sarmin Sultana Toma, who studies information science and library management at Dhaka University.
She requested the operators to make it open to all without any restriction.
The ICT ministry official said under the services, the users won't be able to download any content from the internet and watch video tapes.
Abu Saeed Khan, a telecom analyst, also hailed the initiative and urged service providers to be care about customers' privacy issue.  
Until April, a total of 44.63 million subscribers used internet in the country until April, of them more than 90 per cent use internet through mobile network, according statistics available with the BTRC.
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