Govt, entrepreneurs urged to set up mobile phone industry

Government and local entre-preneurs should come forward to provide necessary policy support to build up mobile phone handset manufacturing plants in Bangladesh as every year huge amount of money is spent to import telecom accessories, said Ban-gladesh Mobile Busines-smen Association (BMBA) president Engr Md. Nizam Uddin Jitu.

He made the comment while announcing a 5-day Dhaka International Tele-com Fair-2009 at Dhaka Reporters' Unity on Monday in the capital.

The fair will begin on 8 June and it will continue till June 12 at Bangladesh-China Frien-dship Conference Centre with a view to promoting Telecom Industry in Bangladesh.

"As the present government is determined to establish Digital Bangladesh through providing telecommunication facilities for general people at affordable prices the fair will play an important role to achieve the goal," said BMBA president.

This year the slogan of the fair is "Growing Towards a Digital Bangladesh." Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the fair as chief guest while finance minister, commerce minister and post and telecommunications minister will be present as special guests at the inaugural ceremony, the organizer said.

He said the fair will also help provide different brands of mobile sets of world's reno-wned companies to potential buyers at attractive offer under one shed. "Our targeted people of the fair are general visitors, potential customers and people related to the telecommunication business," he said.

Mobile Phone operators, PSTN service providers, Manufacturers and Imp-orters of mobile hand sets and retailers, mobile phone accessories pro-viders, ISP Companies, Telecommun-ication oriented educational organizations and other allied technology promoters will showcase their products and services at the fair.

A total of 52 stalls along with 15 pavilions and 6 mega pavilions will be set up in the fair, said BMBA president. The fair will remain open for all on 8th June at 2pm and rest of the days it will remain open from 10am to 9pm. The entry fee is Tk 20 per person. Channel F-2, an event management company, in coordination with the BMBA will organize the fair.

Syed Margub Morshed, former chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), Golam Dastogir Gazi, director of FBCCI and Abul Kashem, first vice president of FBCCI, among others, spoke at the press conference.