The companies signed separate memorandums of understanding with the IBPC.

Suhel Ahmed, commerce secretary who is also chairman of the IBPC, and representatives of those companies signed the MoUs on behalf of their respective companies.

Export Promotion Bureau Vice-Chairman Habib Abu Ibrahim, Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) President Habibullah N Karim, Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS) President Sabur Khan and Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) President Akhtaruzzaman Manju were present at the signing ceremony.

The commerce secretary said the enrolled companies will be able to use the 2,000 square feet office of Bangladesh ICT Business Centre (BIBC), a project of IBPC, located at the IT hub of Silicon Valley in the US.

He said the office facilities include a number of conference rooms, broadband Internet connections and modern telephone facilities.

Ahmed said companies have to pay 500 US dollars per year for registering with the BIBC. But companies signing the MoUs yesterday will get discounts of 300 US dollars. "Companies may receive such discount facility if they sign up by June 30," said Ahmed.

To use the BIBC office, enrolled companies can pay either 25 US dollars per day or 300 US dollars per month.

Ahmed said the principal objective of BIBC, a World Bank financed project, started its operation on March this year to facilitate Bangladeshi ICT companies to tap the global as well as US market.

He said IBPC is a good example of public and private sector participation in Bangladesh, where all the ICT trade bodies, namely BCS, BASIS and ISPAB, are represented.

Ahmed said the government has a plan to set up similar centres for leather, agro-processing and light engineering sectors.

American Association of Bangladeshi Engineers and Architects (AABEA), Silicon Valley chapter, is providing all logistic and execution support to the BIBC. A director has been appointed at the BIBC for continuous market research.