Tuesday, March 19, 2024

150 software firms await 3G boon

Dhaka: About 150 software firms have been waiting for more than a year for the launch of the 3G technology. The government launch of the 3G technology will not only prove to be good news for telecom operators, a number of firms that develop software for 3G-enabled mobile phones for foreign buyers, at cheaper prices, could also offer a better rate for millions of local users, software industry say. Sources at the Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers Association (BMPIA) said that 1.9 million 3G-enabled handsets had been sold in the country in the past one year. Once the 3G networks are up and running, compatible handsets would arm people with a range of useful services including global positioning system (GPS), cheaper internet connections, sending and receiving emails via mobile phones, faster encoded data transmission and live television coverage.
According to software development industry sources, the picture of a true “Digital Bangladesh” would be clearly visible once the government launches 3G.
A number of software development company heads said they could build up a huge market for mobile software, worth at least Tk. 500 crore, as they were fully equipped and capable of designing customised corporate mobile software.
“We have for the past two years developed mobile software by using Rubi on Rails (an open-source web application framework for the Ruby programming language) for several small and medium corporate houses based in the US. If the country launches 3G services, we can develop software for Bangladeshi corporate houses too,” said Simon Azim, CEO, Thinkcrest.
Azim also maintained that 3G would be a perfect solution for the corporate houses in Dhaka.
“A good deal of time is lost in traffic jams these days. Once the 3G backbone is in place, corporate executives and employees can do part of their office work, while stuck in traffic gridlocks, simply by using their smartphones or 3G handsets,” he noted.
Shibli Ahmed, chief systems analyst at Techpeople, said people in the West and even in neighbouring India had been using smartphones and iPhones for office work while out of office for long.
“Large, even some small and medium-sized corporate houses in Japan, China, Australia, Europe, India, Canada and America have their own software for conducting office work, which software firms, including a few from Bangladesh, develop as per requirement. In Japan, almost 90 per cent of the corporate houses do half of their office work on their smartphones,” Ahmed said.
Jubaer Arefin, a software engineer at Redpipal Ltd, said designing customised software for a small-scale office would cost between Tk. 40,000 and 100,000. Considering the output it could generate, it would be a very handy option for the companies.
Arefin also said designing such software had become much easier with the introduction of content management systems (CMS), which took away much of the pain involved in earlier programming methods.
“As most of the plug-ins (written programmes for particular functions, which could be integrated with existing software for upgrade) are now available on the Internet, they could easily be integrated in the CMS platform with the customised requirements,” he said.
Mahbub Zaman, the president of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), said software companies in Bangladesh had long had the capability of designing mobile software.
“A number of companies, which design these types of software for overseas clients, are likely to get local contracts with the arrival of the 3G system,” Zaman said.
The BASIS president also said a number of institutions had already been provided training in mobile software development. “Creating skilled manpower resources for this purpose would not be a problem,” Zaman said.
Zaman also said there were seven Carnegie-Mellon University (CMU) Level 3-certified Bangladeshi companies capable of designing enterprise-level 3G software.
The value of unlicensed software installed on personal computers has now reached a record US $137 million, as per the Global Software Piracy Study 2010 conducted by Business Software Alliance (BSA), which evaluates the global state of software piracy.
But Zaman said if 3G were launched, Bangladeshis would gradually shift to using original software from their habitual dependence on the pirated ones. “For a country like Bangladesh, where a number of IT graduates switch professions due to lack of suitable jobs, 3G-enabled software designing could be the best option for the revival of the country,” he pointed out.

-With The Independent input

Related News

Xiaomi Mix Fold 3: A glimpse into the future of folding phones

Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com Folding phones have become increasingly popular, with a plethora of options available to consumers, from the likes of Google’s Pixel Fold to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold5. Amidst this competition, Xiaomi’s Mix Fold 3 stands out: a device that undeniably offers a tantalising preview of the potential future trajectory of folding phones ... Read more

Xiaomi launches Xiaomi Pad 6 in Bangladesh

Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com Xiaomi has launched the Xiaomi Pad 6, the latest in their tablet series, targeting the Bangladeshi market. The Xiaomi Pad 6 boasts a unibody design and offers features like 33W fast charging, and Dolby Atmos-supported sound. The device has an 11-inch WQHD+ display with a 144Hz variable refresh rate and a ... Read more

Google turns 25 today, celebrating Silver Jubilee of digital supremacy

Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com Google, the tech giant that has become synonymous with internet search, is commemorating its 25th birthday with a special doodle. Although Google Inc was officially incorporated on September 4, for over a decade, the company has chosen to celebrate its birthday on September 27. To mark this momentous day, Google took ... Read more

Bangladeshi origin Rumman Chowdhury among Time’s 100 most influential people in AI

Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com Bangladeshi-origin Dr Rumman Chowdhury has been named in the Time 100 AI list for her contribution to the field of Artificial Intelligence.

Amazon Web Services Startup Day to be held Oct 5

Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com Amazon Web Services is hosting a training event called Startup Day Bangladesh 2023 on October 5, 2023. This day-long program will provide hands-on teaching on using the Amazon Web Services (AWS) platform to transform startup designs.

Walton brings new smartphone Xanon X20

Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com Local consumer electronics giant Walton has released a new phone in the market. The device- Canon X20- is powered by a Mediatek Helio G99 processor, which Walton claims will provide better services than the Snapdragon 685G processor, according to a press statement issued on Sunday (20 August)

ASUS launches Zenbook S 13 OLED in Bangladesh

Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com ASUS has announced the exciting new Zenbook S 13 OLED (UX5304), the world’s slimmest 13.3-inch OLED laptop in Bangladesh. The S 13 OLED is also the most eco-friendly Zenbook ever and takes the brand’s signature qualities of ultraportable design, sustainability, and on-the-go performance to a new level, reads a press release. ... Read more

Bangladesh one of the first four to get ChatGPT’s Android version

The three others are, the USA, India, Brazil Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com OpenAI has launched the android version of its popular artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT. It made ChatGPT available for android users to download in four countries of the world: the USA, India, Bangladesh and Brazil. The American AI research and deployment company said it ... Read more

A game-changer in the segment: realme brings in C53 from its Champion series

Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com The youth-favourite brand realme has brought in yet another fabulous phone from its Champion series C53, which is expected to disrupt its market segment owing to several segment-first features including 128GB storage (along with up to 12GB dynamic RAM) and 7.49mm body. It was launched in the Bangladeshi market recently. The ... Read more

Infinix Unveils the Note 30 Pro with Breakthrough All-Round Fast-Charge

Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com Infinix, the youth empowering smartphone brand of Bangladesh has launched its latest addition of Note series, the Note 30 Pro. The phone comes with All-Round Fast charge technology in an affordable price range combining cutting-edge technology, remarkable charging capabilities, and an exceptional user experience. The Infinix Note 30 Pro introduces a ... Read more

Meta’s Threads draws 30 million users as Zuckerberg challenges Twitter

Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com Meta Platforms (META.O) on Wednesday launched a direct challenge to Twitter with Threads, garnering millions of users in hours as it sought to take advantage of its rival’s much-weakened state after a series of chaotic decisions from owner Elon Musk. Positioned as a friendly competitor to Twitter, Threads aims to appeal ... Read more

Symphony launches Z60 Plus with 6GB RAM

Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com Symphony Mobile, a leading smartphone manufacturer in Bangladesh, is excited to announce the launch of its newest smartphone with 6GB RAM, the Symphony Z60 Plus. Packed with advanced features and powered by the Android 12 operating system, Symphony Z60 Plus offers an enhanced user experience at an affordable price point, reads ... Read more

BMW 735i launched in Bangladesh

Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com Executive Motors Limited, the luxury automotive arm of Meghna Executive Holdings, has unveiled the seventh-generation flagship model of the BMW 7 Series, which embodies pure driving pleasure, lounge-like comfort and digitalization at a new level. The front-end design of the new BMW 7 Series features multi-sensory vehicle experience BMW iDrive with ... Read more

Apple launches 15-inch MacBook Air, claiming to be world’s thinnest 15-inch laptop

Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com Trust that Apple will not disappoint its user base. Today at its WorldWide Developer Conference, the company introduced the 15-inch MacBook Air, which is 11.5mm thin. Apple claims this will be the world’s thinnest laptop, weighing just over three pounds. According to the manufacturer, it is the thinnest in history. The ... Read more

realme C55 vs OPPO A57: Two devices that exemplify utility

Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com Devices that offer the best-in-class features at reasonable prices have been garnering much love from users lately – especially youngsters. Two such devices now available on the market are realme C55 and and OPPO A57, according to a press release. Released just a few months back, realme C55 came in as ... Read more

WhatsApp brings ‘screen sharing’ feature for users

Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com A new report has surfaced online revealing that the Meta-own platform WhatsApp, known for being one of the best messaging apps is developing a new feature which will enhance the the video calling experience on the app. According to WaBetaInfo, the instant messaging app is releasing a screen-sharing feature as well ... Read more

Google might delete your Gmail account if you haven’t used it in 2 years

Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com Google is moving to erase unused personal accounts that users haven’t logged into for two years or longer, citing security concerns. Starting in December, Google will require users to sign in at least once every two years in order to keep the account active. Google accounts include Gmail, YouTube and Google ... Read more

Elon Musk names former advertising chief of NBCUniversal as new Twitter CEO

News Desk : dhakamirror.com US business tycoon Elon Musk has appointed former NBCUniversal advertising chief Linda Yaccarino as the new CEO of social media platform Twitter. Musk announced the appointment on Twitter on Friday and said he is excited to welcome Yaccarino as the new CEO of the platform. He said she will focus primarily ... Read more

Twitter to remove inactive accounts, confirms Elon Musk

Tech Desk : dhakamirror.com CEO Elon Musk has announced that Twitter will remove all accounts that have been inactive for several years. In a tweet on Monday, Musk said that the action is “important to free up abandoned handles.” The Twitter policy requires users who log into their account at least once every 30 days. ... Read more

Elon Musk considers himself a ‘moderate’

Business Desk : dhakamirror.com Elon Musk said he thinks of himself as a “moderate” in response to critics who say he’s become conservative since buying Twitter last year. He made the comments during an appearance on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” Friday. “I, at least, think of myself as a moderate,” the Tesla CEO ... Read more