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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