Talking to The Daily Star yesterday, a highly placed official source said Gates is likely to be visiting Bangladesh after his tour in India.

It's been about eight months since Microsoft officially started their operations in Bangladesh. In cooperation with their market development partner, Square InformatiX, they have focused on building good relationships with their certified partners locally during the past few months.

Microsoft also launched their 'Unlimited Potential' programme on June 13, one of many projects planned for Bangladesh.

The source on condition of anonymity said Bill Gates, the richest man in the world and a great philanthropist, is expected to be in Dhaka on December 9 or 10 for a day's visit on board a chartered aircraft.

He is likely to assess Microsoft's activities in Bangladesh and may announce some expansion plans, the source said.

"His visit is very important for the national interest of Bangladesh because his visit would give a new impetus to Bangladesh's nascent IT industry," the source added.

Bangladesh has already produced a good number of bright IT professionals, including software engineers, software developers and a data-entry workforce.

Gates might call on Prime Minister Khaleda Zia during his brief stay in Dhaka, and is likely to discuss how Bangladesh could collaborate with Microsoft in bridging the digital divide in the country.

He may meet key government officials, academicians and IT industry leaders and is likely to interact with the media.

Microsoft had revenues of US$36.84 billion for the fiscal year ending June 2004, and employs more than 55,000 people in 85 countries.

Born on Oct. 28, 1955, Gates grew up in Seattle with his two sisters. Their father, William H. Gates II, is a Seattle attorney. Their late mother, Mary Gates, was a schoolteacher, University of Washington regent, and chairwoman of United Way International.