Staff Reporter:
Local production of affordable smart phones is set to begin in October, with the government aiming to bring smart phones with data connectivity to around five crore people who currently do not have smart phones within 18 to 24 months.
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Rehan Asif Asad said the initiative aims to bring the effective cost of a Smartphone down to Tk 2,000-3,000 for ordinary people, including agricultural workers, farmers and rickshaw pullers.
He said around seven crore people currently do not have smartphones, while around 50 percent of people in the country still use feature phones.
“Their (manufacturers) offer is that they can give up to Tk 1,000 per device. They will subsidies it. So, roughly, we are there within Tk 5,500,” Rehan Asif Asad said.
According to the adviser, discussions were held with three mobile operators and the mobile manu-facturing association to develop a plan for making smart phones available within Tk 5,000. Manu-facturers said raw materials and taxes would have to be exempted for the initiative.
He said the government has implemented the requested budgetary line items and credits, while manufacturers spent more than four weeks in China as part of preparations.
The adviser said an LCD screen that currently costs $17 would be used in the device, while the motherboard, processor and other components would cost $23. Batteries and casing would cost another $15 to $16, putting the total cost at around $55.
He said manufacturers had offered to subsidies up to Tk 1,000 per device.
Rehan Asif Asad said he had also spoken to three operators about bundling the devices with free data and voice services for three months, with the aim of reducing the effective cost to Tk 2,000-3,000.
He said around five crore people would be targeted through the initiative, while the government plans to use the SOF fund for another two crore people living below the poverty line.
“The SOF fund has around Tk 1,200 crore,” he said, adding that the government would have to identify people living below the poverty level and determine how to reach them.
He said the government wants to achieve 100 percent coverage within 18 to 24 months.
The adviser also said Bangladesh Bank had lifted its previous restriction on mobile phone purchas-es under its EMI program, allowing any bank to provide EMI facilities for mobile phones.
He said the devices would be developed with different specifications and prices according to users’ requirements, adding that button phones are preferred by many people in rural areas.
He said the initiative could not be implemented by the government alone, and that was why mo-bile phone manufacturers, mobile operators and Bangladesh Bank were involved in their respec-tive roles.
Rehan Asif Asad said the first locally produced phone could be available, while full local production by dealers was expected around the middle of October. The phone would be manufactured locally, he added.
