New census points to digital divide

About three crore people of Bangladesh, aged 18 or above, don't own a mobile phone and 6.5 crore don't use internet, according to the new population census, highlighting the non-affordability of connecting devices and elusive digital inclusion for many. 

Of the population group aged five and above, 44.13 per cent, or 6.6 crore, don't own a handset, while more than 69 per cent, or 10 crore, don't use internet, data from the preliminary report of the Population and Housing Census 2022 showed.

This depicted a grim scenario when it comes to digital inclusion and contradicts the claim of the government, which often paints a rosy picture of the country's digital advancement and connectivity.

For example, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for ICT, said during an event recently that there are over 13 crore internet users in Bangladesh, more than double the census figures.

The data he cited came from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

"The data is machine-generated and collected from mobile network operators and internet service providers on a monthly basis. So, it is more credible than the census data that citizens have shared voluntarily," Palak told The Daily Star.

The census also revealed the gender gap in connectivity and the digital divide between the centre and the margin.

According to the census, 66.53 per cent of men and 45.53 per cent of women use mobile phones. The number of internet users stands at 38.02 per cent and 23.52 per cent, respectively.

The Dhaka division is home to the highest number of mobile and internet users, with 62.07 per cent and 40.41 per cent, while the Sylhet division has the lowest percentage of mobile users at 47.55 per cent. Rangpur has the lowest share of internet users, at 17.67 per cent.

HOW MANY PEOPLE REALLY OWN A MOBILE PHONE?

According to the BTRC, the country's total mobile subscribers stand at 18.44 crore as of June.

In Bangladesh, a SIM that was activated in the last 90 days is counted as a subscriber. The commission doesn't disclose the number of unique customers.

Telecom Minister Mustafa Jabbar said he had been informed by the BTRC that the number of unique mobile phone users is 12 crore.

As per rule, one person can own 15 SIMs and the BRTC's subscribers figure represents the total number of SIMs active in the network, he said.

"We don't expect 100 per cent of the population aged 18 or above will use mobile phones under the current stage of literacy rate, skills and economic condition of the people."

However, according to the BTRC, Bangladesh's teledensity surged past 105 per cent as of April, way higher than the findings of the census that put it at 55.89 per cent.

The BTRC measures the teledensity on the basis of active SIMs, not unique customers, said an official of the commission.

Abu Saeed Khan, a senior policy fellow at Colombo-based think-tank LIRNEasia, says teledensity must be measured based on unique customers.

"For example, if I have four telephone connections, I shouldn't be counted as four different subscribers. Rather, I should be considered as a single subscriber."

The findings on mobile owners in the population census support the data of the GSMA, an industry organisation that represents the interests of mobile network operators worldwide.

The GSMA estimates that about half of Bangladesh's population remains unconnected to a mobile network and only 31 per cent are using mobile internet services, lower than the South Asian average.

Economic conditions have left many in Bangladesh without a mobile phone as well.

For instance, Arzu Begum, a domestic help who lives in Mirpur, says only two persons in her six-member family own a mobile phone.

"I have no money to buy a phone and top it up regularly."

LIRNEasia's Khan blamed the intermediaries in the telecommunication sector and the government policy for the lower mobile and internet penetration.

"The telecommunication sector is full of middlemen and the competition has been blocked by the government," he said.

"If mobile network operators are not allowed to sell smartphones and SIM in a package, smartphone and internet penetration will not go up."

 If operators can sell smartphones, customers will be able to purchase them in instalments."

HOW MANY PEOPLE USE INTERNET?

In late May, Grameenphone, Robi and Banglalink, the three private mobile network operators in Bangladesh with a combined market share of more than 96 per cent in terms of subscribers, shared smartphone penetration among their subscribers. The penetration averaged 48 per cent.

Even if half of the 12 crore unique customers use internet, the total number of mobile internet users in Bangladesh would be six crore. And if 1.26 crore broadband internet users are added to the number, internet users would total 7.23 crore.

However, a broadband connection is usually shared by more than one person.

The Daily Star spoke to 10 people with broadband facilities at their homes or offices and found that eight of them purchase at least one mobile internet data package once a month.

AKM Fahim Mashroor, chief executive officer of bdjobs.com and AjkerDeal, thinks the number of internet users is now close to five crore.

"From the usage of data on various social media platforms and popular local websites and apps, we know that 4-5 crore people use internet in Bangladesh. However, high-frequency users would number 1.5 crores to 2 crores."