Three-day 18th Internet Governance Forum 2023 concludes

The 18th Internet Governance Forum 2023 is organized jointly by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum in collaboration with UNIGF, The Asia Foundation, Internet Society Foundation and Google. 

Around 200 participants from various stakeholders participated in this forum in 8 sessions. Mr. Mostafa Jabbar, Honorable Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Department was present as the Chief Guest and Mr. KM Abdus Salam, Senior Secretary of the Jatiya Sangsad was present as the Chief Guest at the inauguration under the chairmanship of Mr. Shyam Sundar Sikdar, Chairman of BTRC at Agargaon, Capital, on November 23. Technicians, researchers, university teachers, students, entrepreneurs, telecommunication sector stakeholders, officials of various public and private organizations, representatives of Bangladesh Women Internet Governance Forum and officials of BTRC will participate in the three-day seminar. In the speech of the chief guest Mr. Mustafa Jabbar, Honorable Minister of Posts and Telecommunication Department, said that the position Bangladesh has reached after 52 years of independence is a role model for the whole world. 

Mentioning that the young generation of the country will shape the future of Smart Bangladesh, the minister said that digital connectivity will be the backbone of Smart Bangladesh. After Bangladesh entered the era of the 2G network in 1997, almost a hundred areas of the country have come under mobile network coverage in the last 26 years. Stating that the disparity in internet prices between cities and villages has been reduced due to the introduction of 'one country one rate' service for broadband internet by BTRC, he said that every citizen should be tech savvy to enjoy the benefits of Smart Bangladesh. 

Chairman of BTRC Mr. Shyam Sundar Sikder said in the President's speech that research and development is very important for the progress of the telecommunication and information technology sector. Pointing out that Bangladesh is lagging behind in research and development in the telecommunication sector, he said that apart from expanding internet connectivity, access to smart devices should also be ensured for all. 

Stating that the internet has become essential in people's daily life, he said, BTRC has taken various initiatives to develop digital connectivity and telecommunication infrastructure. Mr. KM Abdus Salam, Senior Secretary of Jatiya Sangsad as the guest of honor, said that the journey of digital Bangladesh started by the present government in 2009, the benefits of which have reached all the people of the country. Pointing out that Bangladesh has made significant progress in the digital sector in the last 10 years, he said that if the current trend of digital transformation continues, the vision of creating a smart Bangladesh by 2041 will be implemented on time. Bangladesh NGOS Network for Radio and Communication Chief Executive Officer Mr. AHM Bazlur Rahman was present at the opening ceremony, BTRC Vice Chairman Prof. Md. Mohiuddin Ahmed, Commissioner of Legal and Licensing Department Abu Syed Dilzar Hossain, Commissioner of Spectrum Department Prof. Sheikh Riaz Ahmed and Finance. Commissioner of Accounts and Revenue Department. Among others, Mushfiq Mannan Chowdhury, Secretary General of Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum, Mr. Mohammad Abdul Haque Anu, editor of opinion-based news portal Views Bangladesh, Mr. Rashed Mehdi, Country Representative of Asia Foundation Bangladesh. Kazi Faisal Bin Siraj, Secretary General of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators Bangladesh Lt. Colonel (Retd.) Mohammad Zulfikar.

Mr. Mostafa Jabbar, Hon'ble Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Department of the People's Republic of Bangladesh was present at the inauguration ceremony and Mr. Shyam Sundar Sikdar, Chairman (Senior Secretary) of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) presided over. Mr. KM Abdus Salam, Senior Secretary of Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat, was present as the guest of honor. Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF) Secretary General Mr. Mohammad Abdul Haque Anu delivered the welcome speech and View Bangladesh Editor Mr. Rashed Mehdi; The guest speaker was Dr. Qazi Faisal Bin Siraj, Country Representative, Asia Foundation, Bangladesh and Lt. Col. Mohammad Zulfikar (Retd.), Secretary General, Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (MTOB). The moderator of the inaugural session was Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) Chief Executive Officer AHM Bazlur Rahman. Women's technical knowledge is essential in using the Internet Despite the increase in the number of Internet users in the country, the use of information technology is very limited. Experts say that it is important to ensure maximum use of information technology if Bangladesh is to move forward on the highway of the fourth industrial revolution.

Meaningful and Sustainable Internet Management This session was moderated by BNNRC and BIGF Research Fellow Hiren Pandit. Mr. Md. Zobair Al-Mahmood Hossain, President, of the Bangladesh System Administrators Forum (BDSAF) discussed various issues of internet connectivity as the keynote speaker. Mr. Mohammad Abdul Haque Anu, Secretary General, Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF). Mr. Mubarak Hussain, CEO, of Plexus Cloud, discussed the recent Khawaja Tower fire and the vulnerability of our Internet and emphasized how to maintain a meaningful and sustainable Internet system by deploying robust alternative servers, especially not all in one place. Dr. as an honored guest. Mohammad Shafiul Alam Khan, Professor, IIT, University of Dhaka We all have to try to make this internet system sustainable. Together we are moving towards Smart Bangladesh from Digital Bangladesh. We also have to work from everyone's place. Brigadier General Mohammad Moniruzzaman Jewel, PSC, Director General, Spectrum Division, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, in his special guest speech, said that through concerted efforts, we also have to overcome the problems. We need to maintain a meaningful and sustainable internet system with everyone including our mobile operators. Bangladesh Road to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - 2024 Mr. AHM Bazlur Rahman, Chief Executive Officer, Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC) moderated the session and delivered the keynote presentation. Mr. Mohammad Abdul Haque Anu, Secretary General, of Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF) discussed the three-day event.

The guest of honor was joined virtually from Geneva, Switzerland by Anya Gengo, NRI Focal Point and Associate Program Specialist, UN Secretariat of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). She discussed Japan's Kyoto IGF and UNIZF 2024 and the Summit of the Future to be held next year. He also praised Bangladesh IGF communities. Joining virtually from Delhi, India was Mr. Samiran Gupta, Vice President, of Government & IGO Engagement Asia Pacific and Stakeholder Engagement for South Asia, Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) He said that ICANN is working with BIGF. He expressed his determination to work more intensively in the future. The Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in Bangladesh, Mr. Helal Hakimi was present at the ceremony. The chief guest at the meeting was Brigadier General Mohammad Khalil-ur-Rehman, NDC, PSC, TE, Director General, Systems and Services Department, BTRC is working on internet governance in the future and how to effectively and sustainably bring the internet to people's doorsteps and work is underway to accelerate the progress of Smart Bangladesh. Covid has also taught us a lot. We cannot return to the old world. We need to work together to bridge the generation gap and digital divide. 

The three-day 18th BIGF was declared over by the distribution of certificates at the end of the ceremony.