Low connectivity ranking but with some rays of hope

Bangladesh’s low connectivity ranking is no surprise given the country’s GDP and UN human development assessment.  However, one of Bangladesh’s strengths is its consumer segment with the country’s mobile subscriber penetration standing at 90%.  Bangladesh also has a relatively good tele-density.

Bangladesh achieves its highest score in government infrastructure, which perhaps reflects the government’s clear focus on Information and Communications Technology enablement.  However, government usage and skills remains low.

Bangladesh’s major weakness lies with its business segment.  Business infrastructure scores are very low, as are business usage and skills ratings. PC penetration in Bangladesh is also very low while high-speed broadband remains minimal. The business weighting in the Connectivity Scorecard accounts for more than half of Bangladesh’s total score, and therefore the country’s low scores in this arena have a considerable impact on its overall performance.

Recognizing the transformational role that mobile connectivity can play in its ICT development, Bangladesh has made some important moves to improve access, such as relaxing taxes on mobile handsets and service usage, which serve as barriers to adoption in other emerging nations.

An additional achievement is its apparent ability to sprout successful indigenous business models, such as the Grameen Bank and now the Grameen Phone, which could spur innovation in ICT-related programs such as the Village Phone scheme.

The country has also set up a sector-specific regulator, the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, and has opened up most aspects of the telecommunications market.

Bangladesh Connectivity Performance by Scorecard Component