Mahmudul Hasan

Mobile subscriber numbers up in Feb

The number of mobile subscribers in Bangladesh continued to grow for a second month in February on earlier falling for several months, with all but Teletalk displaying a solid performance.

2d ago

‘Smart Bangladesh needs proper policy’

Bangladesh has set its target to go beyond becoming a digitalised nation and so it needs to ensure proper policy framework to realise its “Smart Bangladesh” vision, said Vivek Sood, joint acting group chief executive officer of Axiata Group

1w ago

Local firms show manufacturing capabilities

From locally manufactured televisions and printed circuit boards to jeans made out of jute, a diverse range of products are being displayed by Bangladeshi companies at Bangladesh Business Summit 2023 to attract foreign clients.

1w ago

E-commerce buoyant riding on women entrepreneurs

Women entrepreneurs are playing a vital role in keeping Bangladesh’s digital commerce segment buoyant using their skills and resilience, giving a much-needed fillip to a sector reeling under crisis because of plummeting sales, scams and unprecedented inflation.

2w ago

Banglalink tops the chart in customer acquisition

The mobile subscriber base in Bangladesh saw a slight growth in January this year compared to that a month earlier, with Banglalink continuing to showcase a strong performance in expanding coverage.

2w ago

Robi Axiata to keep supporting local startups

Robi Axiata Ltd is keen to remain a catalyst for local startups through its digital entrepreneurship programme, r-ventures, as the second-largest operator is optimistic about Bangladeshi talents to solve real-life problems, its chief executive officer said.

2w ago

BASIS expo stood out for new tech, youths’ optimism

Some youths were experiencing immersive and interactive environments of augmented and virtual reality with headsets, some were amazed to see a simulation that a robot can rescue the people trapped in a collapsed building, while others were competing with each other in virtual tournaments.

3w ago

Bangladesh's IT export surges despite global economic crisis

The higher earnings were driven by the shipment of computer data-processing and hosting services, which cover most business process outsourcing and IT-enabled services

3w ago

The decline in the domestic smartphone market was due to high inflation as well as deteriorating consumer demand and price hikes while additional taxes also contributed

Smartphone shipment shrinks

The smartphone market in Bangladesh witnessed a double-digit decline for the first time in seven years in 2022 while the feature phone market grew slightly at the same time, according to the latest Market Monitor report by Counterpoint Research.

4w ago

IT firms going all out to attract clients

Local software and IT-enabled service companies will display their technological advancement and look to attract local and global clients at the BASIS SoftExpo 2023 as Bangladesh plans to raise IT exports to $5 billion by 2025 and become a smart nation in two decades.

Foodpanda lays off employees

Foodpanda Bangladesh and its affiliates have laid off dozens of employees recently amid a significant fall in food delivery orders since customers are tightening their belts owing to higher inflation and deepening economic woes.

Banglalink gains most customers in 2022

Top mobile operator Grameenphone lost a huge chunk of its subscriber base in 2022 due to mainly a six-month-long SIM sales ban while Banglalink emerged as the winner of the year with a big gain in customer numbers.

MFS transaction rises over 18% in December

Transactions through mobile financial services (MFS) rose 18.53 per cent year-on-year to Tk 96,132 crore in December thanks to a rise in merchant payments, cash-in and person-to-person transfers.

Daraz to shed jobs

Leading e-commerce platform Daraz Bangladesh has decided to lay off dozens of employees as its mother organisation, Daraz Group, plans to reduce its workforce by 11 per cent in order to cope with the “current market reality”.

Daraz Group to reduce 11% of workforce

Daraz Bangladesh will also lay off dozens of employees as part of the plan of its mother organisation, Daraz Group

Bangladesh made over 10cr handsets so far

Bangladesh’s mobile manufacturing industry hit a major milestone of having produced over 10 crore handsets till date, with the local plants gaining the capability of meeting almost all of the annual demand for devices in a span of just over 5 years.

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Investment flow drying up for tech start-ups

Start-ups in Bangladesh went through a tough time in 2022 owing to the uncertainty in the global economy, but gloomier days for them might not go away any time soon since the decline in global investments is set to linger.

Mobile makers seek more time to preinstall Bijoy

The Mobile Phone Industry Owners' Association of Bangladesh has recently sent a letter to the telecom regulator seeking more time to preinstall Bijoy software, saying that it requires a different set of tests as well as additional investments.

B2B startup ShopUp secures $30m debt financing

Business-to-business (B2B) startup ShopUp yesterday announced that it had secured $30 million in debt financing from both local and global lenders.

Draft digital commerce act draws mixed reactions

A draft of the new digital commerce law has drawn mixed reactions from industry people and customers alike as some believe a legal framework is necessary to prevent fraud while others opined that it would lead to increased bureaucracy in the emerging sector.

Digital fair kicks off tomorrow

The three-day Digital Bangladesh Mela 2023, where more than 50 telecom and ICT companies will showcase their products and services, is all set to kick off at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in Dhaka’s Agargaon tomorrow.

Publishers to set higher prices at Ekushey book fair

Publishers are gearing up for the upcoming Ekushey book fair despite multipronged challenges as a sense of festivity surrounding the monthlong book fair has returned for the first time in three years.

Banglalink providing fastest internet

Banglalink, the third largest mobile network operator in Bangladesh, now provides the fastest internet connection speed while state-run Teletalk continues to be the worst data service provider in the country, according to a global speed test report.

Creating more qualified accountants need of the hour

Bangladesh needs to generate more accounting professionals to meet the growing demand for qualified accountants in a bid to facilitate the faster growth of the economy, said a noted chartered certified accountant.

Bangladesh moves up 14 notches

Bangladesh has advanced 14 spots in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2022 in a major stride but it still lags behind some of its innovative peers.

Mobile phone subscriber numbers decline

The country’s mobile subscriber base witnessed a decrease in November last year as top operator Grameenphone lost a big chunk of customers due to a SIM sales ban.

OTT Regulation: Revised draft bans a whole lot of content

The information ministry yesterday submitted to the High Court a revised draft law on regulating the content of Over-The-Top (OTT) platforms.

Basmati kachchi, biryani sought most on New Year’s Eve

Basmati kachchi and biryani were food items sought the most from the country’s top food delivery platforms on December 31 during celebrations of New Year’s Eve.

Comforter-quilt market expands as lifestyle changes

Consumers in Bangladesh are increasingly switching to comforters, quilts and blankets from traditional duvets in order to stay warm throughout the chillier winter nights and amid a change in lifestyle, drawing a substantial investments and big companies to the segment.

Internet subscriber base shrinks for fourth month

The internet subscriber base in Bangladesh has been on a downward curve for four months till November last year due to a sharp drop in the number of mobile internet users.

Govt mulling lifting GP’s SIM sales ban

Grameenphone is poised to get the ban on its SIM sales lifted as the telecom minister yesterday expressed satisfaction about the country’s leading mobile operator’s service quality.

Phones, laptops, internet turned pricier in 2022

Bangladesh’s steady embrace of digitalisation, spearheaded by a growing number of tech startups and rising software and IT service exports, has suffered a heavy blow from the imposition of new taxes this year.

Is Grameenphone punished for Padma glitch?

For Bangladesh, June 25, 2022 was a momentous day. But for Grameenphone, it is panning out to be a ruinous day.

When should Bangladesh bid 3G adieu?

Although many countries have already shut down 3G, the third generation of wireless mobile telecommunications technology, or announced phase-out plans, Bangladesh is yet to set a specific deadline as a chunk of customers still use it.

Pickaboo raises $1.5m from local, foreign investors

Pickaboo, a platform specialising in selling mobile, gadget and electronics, has raised $1.5 million a in pre-series A round from local and international investors.

Mobile phone subscribers snap four-month decline

The number of mobile phone subscribers in Bangladesh picked up in October snapping a four-month decline thanks to the stellar performance displayed by Banglalink.

Bangabandhu Hi-Tech City: PPP model binned for one segment

The government has retreated from its decision to develop a portion of Bangabandhu Hi-Tech City in Gazipur’s Kaliakoir on a public-private partnership (PPP) model due to lukewarm response from developers.

MFS transactions rebound in Oct

Transactions through mobile financial services (MFS) rebounded in October following a few months of decline thanks to a rise in government disbursements, cash-out and utility bill payments.

Making packaging materials: Akij Group’s Tk 1,000cr investment at risk

With the aim of catering to the growing local market and diversifying the country’s export basket, Akij Group invested more than Tk 1,000 crore in setting up a plant to produce films for packages.

5 computer skills you need in today's workplace

IT firms grapple with unskilled labour force

IT firms are struggling to find skilled tech talents and professionals despite higher demand for information technology services from local and global clients, a situation that threatens their expansion and could shatter Bangladesh’s export ambition for the sector.

Summit: a major player in ICT infrastructure

When one talks about Summit Group, it should come as no surprise that the conglomerate has solidified its position in Bangladesh’s power industry while its chairman, Muhammed Aziz Khan, has been listed by Forbes as one of the richest men in Singapore.

Internet users dip in October

The number of internet subscribers in Bangladesh, including those using mobile internet, fell in the three months to October while the growth in broadband connections flattened.

Mobile handset sales fall further

The woes of the mobile manufacturing industry in Bangladesh continues as the slowdown in sales has persisted for the last eight months amid higher consumer prices.

Private sector driving Bangladesh towards $1-tr economy

Private companies are spearheading Bangladesh’s growth with their energy and optimism, putting the economy on a path to cross the $1-trillion mark by 2040, according to a top global consulting firm.

3rd submarine cable’s cost set to rise 50pc

The cost of Bangladesh’s third submarine cable project is set to increase by 52.23 per cent as double the bandwidth capacity is being availed while dollar prices are soaring.

GP allowed to sell 78,000 SIMs

The telecom regulator has allowed Grameenphone to sell 78,000 SIMs to the army, police and other government and corporate customers, more than four and a half months after the operator was ordered to stop selling new SIMs.

25 years of operation: GP on a roll, Robi yet to find strong footing

The entry of mobile network operators Grameenphone and Robi Axiata, which was then Aktel, in 1997 was a watershed moment for Bangladesh as the country embraced Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) technology, the second-generation digital cellular network used in mobile phones worldwide.

Money transfer across MFS platforms finally a reality

Users of a mobile financial service (MFS) provider can now transfer money to their counterparts registered with other operators and banks as interoperability among the financial service providers comes into a reality today.

November 10, 2022

Transactions thru MFS drop for second month

Transactions through mobile financial services (MFS) dropped for a second month consecutively in August as the festival season started to flatten amid the economic downturn.

November 4, 2022

F-commerce plagued by three-pronged crisis

Many Facebook-based platforms, which have sprouted in Bangladesh since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, are struggling to survive owing to the spike in raw material prices and decline in sales amid the global economic downturn.

November 3, 2022

E-orange founder, her relatives bought assets with customers’ money

She took advance payment from customers luring them with hefty discounts and then purchased a plot and flat with over Tk 9 crore. Her relatives also purchased property with the customers’ money.

October 27, 2022

Global telecom infrastructure industry getting ready for 5.5G

The telecom infrastructure industry is bracing for the technology of the future as it has already made significant progress in this regard and is ready to make the leap to 5.5G, which promises ten-times faster performance than 5G.

October 26, 2022

Bangkok broadband forum flaunts 5G might

An unmanned oil drilling site being operated remotely using 5G technology, a live boxing match using a virtual reality headset with ultra-low latency and high bandwidth of 5G and control of robots in real-time -- these demonstrations marked the first day of Huawei’s two-day 13th Global Mobile Broadband Forum in Bangkok.

October 26, 2022