 Bangladesh has achieved incredible success in spreading internet across the country. In the last fourteen years, in continuation of the Digital Bangladesh program, we have not only built the highway of digital connectivity, we have also brought down the cost of internet from 27 thousand taka to 60 taka per Mbps. Digital divide is bridged by one country one rate. Internet is now like human breathing. In 2008, the internet usage in the country was 7 and a half Gbps, it has now increased to 4100 Gbps. Instead of 8 lakh internet users at that time, the number of internet users now stands at 12.5 crore. Network security is essential to digital security. We are also very focused on this. For this, the import of IPv4 and IPv6 enabled routers has been imposed simultaneously.
Government is determined to implement IPv6 for digital security. The minister said these things in his speech as the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the South Asian Network Operators Group Conference – Sanog 39 and Biding organized by ISPAP and Biding at Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka today. BTRC Chairman Shyam Sundar Sikdar, Post and Telecommunication Department Additional Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam, Commerce Ministry Additional Secretary Md. Abdur Rahim Khan, EPNIC Director General, Paul Wilson, Seng Chairman Rupes Shrestha, Biding President Rashed Amin and ISPAB President were present on the occasion. Md. Emdadul Haque spoke. Digital Age DC’s Head of Interconnect Engineering and Operations Raphael Ho presented the keynote at the event. This pioneer of digital technology development said, we are working to ensure digital security, data security, digital security of individuals, society and the state in addition to being ahead in the construction of digital technology highway. He said, due to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s far-reaching vision and dynamic leadership, traditional services are being transformed into digital services. 100 percent of train tickets have been sold online this Eid. There has been a complete digital transformation of the land system. All these transformations are possible only through the participation of all. Internet has become the logistics of life. Mr. Mustafa Jabbar, the promoter of Bengali language in computers, said that Bangladesh, which is 324 years behind in technology, has set an exemplary example in the world today.
Stating that the government is working to deliver high-speed internet to the doorsteps of every people in the country, the minister said that already high-speed internet has been delivered to almost every union in the country. By 2023 there will be no union without high-speed internet access. We have been able to reach 4G network for mobile phones in 98 percent of the country. In 2021 we introduced 5G technology. 11 network engineers, including 4 from Bangladesh, were given fellowships at the conference. As part of the conference, network engineers’ workshops will be held at Hotel Intercontinental for the next four days. 300 engineers from 6 South Asian countries are participating in it. The speakers expressed their determination to establish South Asian countries as digitally powerful in the world. BTRC Chairman Shyamsunder Sikder said, this five-day event will double the skills of the participants and will play an important role in realizing the Smart Bangladesh vision. Highlighting the contribution of Bangladeshi engineers, Epinic Secretary General Paul Wilson emphasized on the implementation of IPv6 in his speech. In the technical session at the end of the conference’s opening ceremony, Hurricane Electric’s Anurag Bhatia presented IPv6 deployment strategies with open source self-hosted VPNs.
