Smartphone penetration to reach 20pc by this year

Tristram Gray

About 20 percent of mobile phone users will start using smartphones by the end of this year, which will boost data consumption, said a top regional official of Ericsson.

As of June, smartphone penetration in Bangladesh hovered between 12 percent and 15 percent, said Tristram Gray, vice president and head of human resources of Ericsson for Southeast Asia and Oceania.

Ericsson expects increased smartphone affordability in the days to come, according to Gray.

The ongoing efforts of the mobile operators in Bangladesh to improve network capacity and quality will help boost smartphone penetration manifold in the next five years, he told The Daily Star during his recent visit to Dhaka.

About 70 percent of the world population will use smartphones by 2020, according to Ericsson estimates.

Smartphone subscriptions will grow three times to almost 800 million in this region by 2020.

Gray said there is enormous growth potential of the industry in Bangladesh; industry fundamentals like mobile subscription, smartphone use and mobile data growth are sound and there has been consistent positive economic growth.

According to the Ericsson mobility report published in June, there was a net addition of two million mobile subscriptions in the first quarter of this year.

Bangladesh became one of the top 10 countries in the world for the good subscriber growth, said Gray, who is an award-winning team leader at Ericsson.

Dhaka also did very well in the city index on ICT use patterns published by Ericsson recently.

“We can see clear signs that ICT has already started transforming Dhaka. The index shows promising improvement rates in Dhaka.”

“The city is progressing in all ICT dimensions of the index: infrastructure, affordability and usage,” the official said.

Gray said ICT is the single most important sector to solve global issues because it enables people to innovate, collaborate and communicate in other industries.

“We believe that with a multi-stakeholder approach, ICT can be the enabler of a sustainable, prosperous and truly globalised society.”

It can be used to efficiently manage resources, it can help in designing and redesigning smarter energy and production systems and it can replace many products with services, he said.

Bangladesh has the potential to take benefit from the global transformation of ICT that is taking place now, he said.

The country can also take advantage of the economic growth, productivity, educational and health benefits of the transformation, which will not only benefit Ericsson's customers in Bangladesh, but also the nation as a whole, Gray said.

Ericsson is committed to partnering with their customers and the government of Bangladesh to leverage these opportunities over the coming years, he said.

Bangladesh is an important market for Ericsson in the region and it has been partnering with operators on technology, solutions and services as part of its commitment to build a networked society, he said.

Ericsson has a strong and growing business in Bangladesh, he said, adding that the company always looks forward to further opportunities to grow, Gray said.

The company has always been a pioneer in the global telecom industry with more than 37,000 patents in their portfolio.

Ericsson can use the combination of expertise in technology and services in establishing a leading position in the evolving ICT industry and, most importantly, to create value for its customers, he said.

To maintain leadership, Ericsson invests $5 billion a year on research and development to build capacity of its people.

Ericsson invests in individual growth and development at the company, Gray said.

Ericsson's employees have access to world-class technical and leadership development programmes. The company provides its employees with local, regional and global career paths and opportunities in all disciplines, Gray said.