Most households shy away from internet for high costs: survey

A staggering three-fourths of households in Bangladesh think they do not need access to the internet as the required data and devices are still too expensive for them, according to a survey by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

About 63.1 per cent of households do not feel the need to use the internet and 48.2 per cent think internet services are too expensive, shows a preliminary report on the "Survey on ICT Use and Access by Individuals and Households 2022".

A total of 97.4 per cent of households in the country have mobile phones, but some 34.9 per cent of those surveyed said the equipment required to access the internet is still too expensive.

The survey, published yesterday, also highlighted the non-affordability of connecting devices and elusive digital inclusion for many, especially those who reside in rural areas.

Only 29.7 per cent of rural households use the internet while the number is 63 per cent for urban households.

A total of 38.1 per cent of households use the internet, found the survey, depicting a grim scenario when it comes to digital inclusion and contradicting the claims of government officials, who often paint a rosy picture of the country's digital advancement and connectivity.

Government officials often say there are more than 13 core internet users in Bangladesh.

This survey largely supports the findings of a preliminary report on the Population and Housing Census 2022 published in July, which found 6.5 crore people, aged 18 or above, do not use the internet.

Around 52.2 per cent of Bangladesh's population have smartphones. Division-wise, the percentage of internet using households is highest in Dhaka at 54.2 per cent and lowest in Rajshahi at 19.7 per cent, found the latest survey.

In terms of access to mobile phones, the female population beat the male population by 0.1 percentage points with the latter registering 89.9 per cent.

The survey also found that the number of computer users is highest in Chattogram at 15 per cent and lowest in Barishal at 4 per cent.

It said the percentage of internet users in the total population rose from 6.7 per cent in 2013 to 38.9 per cent in 2022.

The rate of mobile usage also increased from 81.7 per cent in 2013 to 89.9 per cent to 2022.

"This survey indicates that the government and private initiatives to popularise internet use among the population have largely failed," said AKM Fahim Mashroor, chief executive officer of Bdjobs.com.

"In addition, internet prices are still out of reach for many people," he added.

The publication ceremony of the preliminary report took place at the BBS auditorium in Dhaka.

Presided over by Md Matiar Rahman, director general of the BBS, Shahnaz Arefin, secretary of the Department of Statistics and Informatics Division, attended the event as special guest.

In contrast, Arefin said the report shows there is not much difference in internet penetration between urban and rural areas.

"The gap between them is not far enough to be fearful. As we want a smart Bangladesh, we have to know the current situation. So, instead of conducting such a survey, we need to conduct a census on it," she added.

Arefin then said the census would have to be conducted under an umbrella project from door to door.

Moreover, she said this survey has conveyed the number of cellular phones being used but did not refer the number of active sim cards as many mobile phone users often use more than one.

She then requested the BBS officials to include the information in the next survey. BBS Director General Rahman said the survey shows that Bangladesh is a directly or indirectly digitalised country.

"Although all the people don't have smartphones, they can easily get access to digital facilities from the nearest council in rural areas," he said.

"So, we can say that directly or indirectly, Bangladesh is now digitalised country," Rahman added.

Taken up in July 2021 at a cost of Tk 4.99 crore, Syeda Marufa Shaki, project director, delivered a presentation on the survey at the event.