FB to help digitise Bangladesh

Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar on Monday said that Facebook is keen to invest in the digital infrastructure of Bangladesh.

A virtual meeting between Facebook and BTRC authorities was held on Monday.

Facebook authorities expressed their interest in taking advantage of Bangladesh’s investment opportunities, highlighting the activities of Express WiFi, Terragraph, Open Transport Network, and Zero Rate programme in several countries, including Malaysia and Indonesia.

The minister said a section of people have been making a living cashing in on the remarkable progress of digital connection. From small business to office activities can be done staying back at home. This would not have been possible without our robust digital infrastructure.

Highlighting the success of the meeting held with the Facebook authorities on the sidelines of the Mobile Congress in Spain, Barcelona, in 2018, the minister said that the discussion was very fruitful in improving bilateral relations.

He said, “As a result of the expansion of digital connectivity across the country, Bangladesh's demand for high-speed internet has increased tremendously. As the strong network expands, the number of Facebook users will increase, and the social media will also benefit a lot.”

He stressed the need for working through the formation of a working group to expedite the implementation of Facebook’s investment in Bangladesh.

Secretary of Posts and Telecommunications Md. Afzal Hossain, Chairman of BTRC Shyam Sunder Sikder, addressed the meeting.

Facebook was also represented by Sabhanaz Rashid Dia, head of Public Policy for Bangladesh, Tom C. Varghese, head of connectivity, and Connectivity Affairs Officer Tahani Iqbal from social media giant’s Singapore regional office.

At present, there are 4.80 crore Facebook users in the country. Bangladesh is tenth in the world in terms of users.