Categories and Topic Areas: IT in developing countries- the SAARC experience.

Title: “Internet in Bangladesh: millennium perspective.”

 Though the first main frame computer came to Bangladesh in 1964, but the usage of PC became popularize very late to the common people. Several large banks and private entrepreneurs in industrial sectors are the path makers of achieving benefits from computer and computerized applications. Bureau of Statistics and a few   nationalized banks are the leaders in using computer in government sector by processing data and information, while industrial concerns in private sectors are the leaders in applying computer for their accounting, payroll and inventory related applications.

 A joint survey by the Bangladesh Computer Council and Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, published in April 1999 has found that there were more than 78,000 PCs in Bangladesh by the end of 1998, with more than 120,000 licensed software marketed (Report on Survey of IT Resources of Bangladesh and Identification of Y2K Problem Areas, 1999). The highest concentration is in Dhaka with more than 72% of the computers involved in IT related activities. However, it is expected that the number of PC user would be increased by at least 50% within a year after with drawl of government imposed import taxes from computer and computer related accessories in 1999.

 To improve IT sector furthermore, a government appointed committee submitted 45 recommendations in September 1997 with Dr. Jamilur Reza Chowdhury as the Convener. There were both short term and middle term recommendations; some of them have already been implemented and the government has asked different concerned ministries to go ahead with implementing the other recommendations (Chowdhury, J.R., 1999).

 The Internet came late in Bangladesh, with UUCP e-mail beginning in 1993 and IP connectivity in 1996. By July 1997 there were an estimated 5,500 IP and UUCP accounts (Press, L., 1999) in the country and by the end of 2000 it has been forecasted that the account holder could reach more than 50,000 through different Internet Service Providers (ISP), who are offering Internet services with bandwidth ranging between 65Kbps and 2Mbps through VSAT, Broadband and Zacknet downlink.

 Keywords: UUCP, IP, Broadband, Zacknet.