90 percent Bangladeshis will get internet service within 2021, says ICT adviser Joy

The work to provide internet service to 90 percent of the population within 2021 is under way, prime minister's ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy has said.

The government has also set a target to launch electronic system for 90 percent public and other important services within the period, he says.

Joy spoke about Bangladesh's targets for ICT sector at a conference of ministers from six countries during Digital World 2016 in Dhaka on Wednesday.

He said the government targeted to create two million jobs and take the annual export from this sector to $5 billion in next five years.

According to him, people will not be able to get digital services without the internet and so the target to connect 90 percent of the population to the internet within 2021 has been set.

BTRC data say the number of internet users was over 61 million in March, 38 percent up from the same month last year.

Joy presented the keynote, based on Bangladesh's progress in ICT sector in past eight years, at the programme.

According to him, more than 1,000 IT firms and 50,000 freelancers are now working in Bangladesh's ICT sector on which 300,000 people depend for their livelihood.

The number of mobile and internet banking subscribers is around 30 million. As many as 90 million are getting smart national ID cards.

The prime minister's son said the country would get the second submarine cable connection within this year. It is poised to launch the first satellite named Bangabandhu Satellite within 2017.

Joy said all the Upazila-level government offices are connected to the internet through optical fibre now.

He urged the foreign countries to import IT manpower from Bangladesh.

Planning and Development Deputy Minister under ICT ministry of Saudi Arabia Khalid F Al Otaibi said his country would consider recruiting Bangladeshi IT workers.

Bhutanese Minister of Information and Communications Lyonpo DN Dhungyel said the landlocked country was discussing import of internet bandwidth from Bangladesh.

State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Minister of State for Finance and Treasury of Maldives Mohamed Ashmalee, Minister for Information and Communications of Nepal Surendra Kumar Karki, Minister of Transport, Communication and Tourism of Republic of Suriname Andojo Rusland and Deputy Minister of Information and Communications of Vietnam Hoàng Vĩnh Bảo, among others, were present.