We top mobile users' list in South Asia

ACCORDING to a report by an international mobile research and development body called mobiforge, Bangladesh tops the list of mobile users in South Asia followed by Pakistan and India. This has been unveiled by a report in a prominent Bangla daily. The research report further says that for the first time Bangladesh has been included in the 100 million users' club of fourteen countries. The sheer number of mobile users in Bangladesh, being 75% of its population, reflects a huge stride taken in ownership of a powerful communication device.

While the trend of accessing the internet via mobile has increased, mobile phone is being widely used for exchange of information and data related to marketing, agriculture, health and education. Decisively, this has been an important tool for banking and financial transactions. According to The Economist, some Tk. 250 crore is transacted daily via mobile phones in today's Bangladesh.

However , public and private sectors should now work together to foster a conducive atmosphere for promising youngsters to invent subject specific apps so that the numbers of services are multiplied. Now the task is to create mobile based employment opportunities to the fullest. The quiet mobile revolution will now have to be taken forward to a more vibrant multiple mobile usage culture.