Country’s mobile broadband users 18cr: Minister

Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar has said that the number of mobile users in the country has reached 18 crore at present.

The internet user base was four crore in 2018 and the broadband coverage reached 98.5 percent by the end of 2021, he said in his keynote speech during the first day of Huawei APAC (Asia Pacific) Digital Innovation Congress 2022 held in Singapore on Thursday.

He said Bangladesh’s communications industry has grown rapidly since the Digital Bangladesh Strategy was announced in 2008, reports a press release.

“The internet has drastically changed the lives of people in Bangladesh. The time-befitting and prudent leadership of our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the support from all stakeholders in the sector have helped Bangladesh to effectively carry on education, healthcare and economic activities during the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.

The two days APAC Digital Innovation Congress, started from May 19, sheds light on what lies ahead in the digital realm for the economies around the world.

Dato' Sri Adham bin Baba, minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Malaysia, Ken Hu, rotating chairman, Huawei, Yang Mee Eng, executive director, ASEAN Foundation,. Ajarin Pattanapanchai, permanent secretary, Ministry of Digital Economy and Society, Thailand, Simon Lin, president, Huawei Asia Pacific Region, among others, delivered their speeches on the first day of the congress.