First mobile-apps store launched

From right, Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury; MA Mubin Khan, managing director of Ethics Advance Technology Ltd (EATL); Mostafa Faruque Mohammed, ICT minister; and Syed Modasser Ali, prime minister's health adviser, attend the launch of a mobile application store by EATL, at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in Dhaka yesterday.Photo: STAR

A mobile application store was launched in Bangladesh for the first time yesterday to upload and download both Bangla and English-version apps. The site will also be used as an online marketplace for developers.
Ethics Advance Technology Ltd (EATL), an ICT solution provider, launched the new service for national and international mobile apps users.
Mobile apps are software applications designed to run on smartphones, tablet computers or other mobile devices.
ICT Minister Mostafa Faruque Mohammed launched the apps store in a programme at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in Dhaka. The new initiative will help establish a strong foothold in the international ICT market and earn foreign currency, the minister said.
Nizam Uddin Ahmed, chief executive of EATL Apps, said there is no availability of applications developed in Bangla language. But EATL has developed its apps in Bangla, which will emphasise the language, health, education and socio-cultural situation of Bangladesh.
The apps store is segregated based on subject matter and most apps can be downloaded for free. The company will sign agreements with banks for online purchase, he said.
Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury, vice chancellor of Asia-Pacific University, hoped the e-payment gateway of the Bangladesh, when completed, will support online trading.
MA Mubin Khan, managing director of EATL, announced a six-month competition to search for best developers of applications. Contestants will have to submit their concepts by November 30.