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Does this hint at the death of art? CHT Land Commission work, and the power struggles, contradictions, and tensions around it Ctg depot fire: HC asks for causes, people responsible for it Attack on Independent TV journos: Owner of SPA River Side Medical Centre among 4 put on remand Dollar price jumps to Tk 119 in kerb market Indian companies swap dollar for Asian currencies to import Russian coal Pori Moni and Razz blessed with a baby boy 1 Covid-19 death in 24 hours, current positivity rate 5.09% “Bangladesh didn’t seek specific info on citizens’ deposits to Swiss banks” Spiderman fandom still going strong as the beloved comic character turns 60 Ebadot bags two wickets in just second over of debut ODI Paddlers into quarters of Islamic Solidarity Games Gaiman’s Paradox: When adaptations are overanalysed BJP pushed out of power in India’s Bihar Afif, Anamul step up but Tigers still found wanting
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Thursday, August 11, 2022 | Journalism Without Fear or Favour
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Editorial

Time to address growing digital divide in Bangladesh

Authorities must take steps to improve digital access
Sun Jul 31, 2022 07:34 PM Last update on: Sun Jul 31, 2022 07:48 PM
VISUAL: STAR

It is disappointing to learn of the growing digital divide in the country, which once again came to the fore after the release of the preliminary report of the Population and Housing Census 2022. Reportedly, around three crore people over the age of 18 do not own a mobile phone, while 6.5 crore people from the same group do not use the internet. Access to a phone or internet is much less if you lower the age bracket. These figures emerge on the heels of a recent report that showed how people are not fully benefiting from the 761 digitalised government services due to bad servers, lack of user-friendliness, and slow internet speeds. Taken together, these findings make our dream of a "Digital Bangladesh" look more distant than one would have expected.

New census points to digital divide

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According to estimates by the GSMA, about half of the population remains unconnected to a mobile network, and only 31 percent are using mobile internet services. Some think that the low levels of mobile phone ownership and internet use are due to the fact that the government isn't allowing network operators to sell these as a package, as per our report. However, besides the business side of things, lack of digital literacy and access among the people is something that is not being considered with the urgency that it demands, especially with regard to Bangladesh's digital advancement and connectivity.

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Digital Bangladesh: One step forward, two steps back?

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Many use internet for simple entertainment purposes. But when it comes to getting a service online, most of the population is not digitally literate enough to conduct the process seamlessly, and are often forced to employ the services of intermediaries to get what they need. This is not digital empowerment. And the fact that these online services are often poorly designed makes it all the more difficult for such citizens to become integrated into the digital arena.

Many digital services exist just in name

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The goal of digitalisation in any platform must be to make the lives of citizens easier, saving time and money. But recent data indicates that the government may only be undertaking digitalisation just for the sake of it, while bringing pre-existing challenges into the online services as well. We urge the government to improve the state of services currently being offered online before expanding their coverage. If the services are not easily accessible, it will hardly encourage citizens to increase their digital participation. At the same time, the government must help improve digital access and literacy so that citizens can get the maximum benefit out of the digital age.

Related topic
Population and Housing Census 2022 / Digital Bangladesh / mobile phone and internet connectivity in Bangladesh
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