Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Jumana Rezwan's Canvass

Banglalink Prepping up to offer 3G services soon
Banglalink has rolled out plans to offer 3G services to its users and is undergoing phase by phase structural upgrades to support the new system. 3G or 3rd Generation technology enables high speed data rates of at least 200 Kbit/s   that allows mobile users to take advantages of applications such as Mobile TV, GPS, Video conferencing, to name a few. Should the proposed plans come through, Banglalink will have the technological capabilities of supporting 2G,3G and 4G technology. Given the high licensing prices, 3G services are likely to be very expensive when launched initially. 

As the telecom market goes through a gradual evolution, it will be interesting to see the market’s reaction at to the introduction of new technology. On one hand, this move may be a test of brand loyalty for telecom operators where  eager mobile subscribers may switch to different operators in a bid to avail 3G services as soon as possible.  On the other hand, a  shift in consumer behavior is highly anticipated where handsets will evolve from being mere communication tools to a mode of entertainment.  Given the lower disposable income  of the average population this may well indicate a lucrative opportunity for  low priced handset manufacturers such as  Symphony.

Outgoing WB Country Director expresses confidence in Bangladesh’s  economic future
Ellen Goldstein, the World Bank’s outgoing country director has predicted that with increased public-private partnerships as well as investments in skill development, Bangladesh may well be able to achieve  an annual economic growth of 8 to 10 percent , similar to that of China. The favorable demographic characteristics of the population mean that Bangladesh  has one of the youngest workforces in the world, making it the most competitive labor market worldwide.
However, in order to facilitate the growth and take advantage of favorable demographic characteristics , there is a need to invest in the training/ educational sectors in order to create a stronger base of skilled workforce.
 
Goldstein's emphasis on skill development is crucial.  Her comments shed light on the inadequacy of the  current structure of the educational systems, which is unable to churn out well rounded graduates and is more focused on catering to specializations such as Engineering, Medicine and Business Administration. Moreover, at primary and secondary school level, students are taught to memorize rather than understand the different concepts, which in turn decreases their ability to think critically.

Perhaps it is a good time to look at possible reforms within the educational system, so that the future generations are exposed to more multidisciplinary educational systems which will hopefully create more well rounded individuals with ability to think individually and critically.

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