Thursday, April 18, 2024
The government is considering fixing uniform mobile data rates for all telecom operators soon so that they cannot compete unfairly with each other, and overcharge the public for internet access, said Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar.
"We have ensured the time-bound use of mobile data volume and subsequent carry-forward use for the public. We think to fix the same rate for all the operators for using mobile data so that people do not need to spend extra money," he said at a seminar on Saturday.
The event titled "Digital and Cyber Security" was held on the closing day of the Eighth International Fire, Safety and Security Expo (IFSSE) 2022 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in Dhaka.
The Electronics Safety and Security Association of Bangladesh (ESSAB) – co-partnered with the Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence (BFSCD) – organised the three-day expo.
The minister pointed out that people now cannot think of anything except mobile phones as it has become a part of daily life. "However, we have to be aware of its use since the cybersecurity risk is increasing day by day."
Mustafa Jabbar urged education institutions and trade bodies to come forward to make aware people of cybersecurity.
Mentioning that the government has enacted the Digital Security Act 2018 to ensure cybersecurity, he said the authorities shut down 26,000 porn and 6,000 gambling sites in Bangladesh. “I will close such sites within 24 hours if someone gives me the links."
The minister hoped that Bangladesh will lead in the fifth industrial revolution (5IR) in the world.
Jabbar said the government is working to ease the payment system for freelancers. “Bangladesh has no restrictions for PayPal if the company wants to invest here.”
At the event, Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Standing Committee on ICT Chairman Md Shahid Ul Munir urged all to get rid of cyber addiction.
"We should use digital gadgets but must not waste more time here apart from acquiring knowledge. As there are positive and negative things on the internet, we have to take the positive thing," he added.
He requested guardians to guide their children and the young generation to use the internet properly and keep them safe from cyber-security risks.
ESSAB President Zahir Uddin Babar, Treasurer Md Mahmood-E-Khoda, and Director Md Monzur Alam also spoke at the programme among others.
ESSAB Joint Secretary General Zakir Uddin Ahmed moderated the seminar, while its Secretary General M Mahmudur Rashid gave a vote of thanks.
