Reduce SIM tax & New handsets;Mobile operators said

The mobile industry in Bangladesh, which is still lagging at the bottom rung of tele-density in the region, is at the crossroads of growth where the huge untapped rural market beacons it. But the challenge is strong enough as the cost of owning a mobile set and connection is too prohibitive.The options to overcome the odds to bring about a revolutionary change in rural lifestyle in terms of internet use, telemedicine help and e-education are quite a few and some of them could be addressed through budgetary measures.Operators blamed the tax on SIM card as the major digital divide between the rural and urban areas. They said such tax is one of the major barriers to expanding their costly networks to the rural areas as these areas may not give a healthy return in terms of revenue like in urban areas.t is the time to go to the untapped rural areas, said Ahmed Mushfeq Anam, managing director of X-Fer Limited and representative of Nortel Networks Netas. Operators should take up strategy to share infrastructure among them to expand networks in rural areas so that investment returns come to their expected level, he added.

M Rafiqul Islam, joint secretary of the post and telecommunications ministry, assured the mobile phone operators of passing their appeals to the telecom minister.