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Book on the History Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Industry of Bangladesh Unveiled

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ICT Pioneers’ Club organized a seminar titled, “ Digital Biplob O Bangladesh” today at Hotel Amari Dhaka, Gulshan. The book “ABORTO- Analog Theke Digital Bangladesh O Amra”was unveiled at the seminar. Chief guest of the event, Honorable Minister of Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology, Mr. Mustafa Jabbar ; Mr. S. M. Kamal, Founder President, Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS); Mr. A. Towhid, Founder President, Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS); along with author Abdullah H.Kafi unveiled the book. 

ICT industry leaders, media personalities, and BCS founding Executive Committee members- Aftab Ul Islam, FCA, Didar Hossain, Shafquat Haider, Chairman and Managing Director of CIPROCO Computers Ltd.; Ghulam Mohiuddin, Managing Director, Grameen CyberNet Ltd.; Habibullah N. Karim, Founder and CEO, Technohaven Company Ltd., Khondkar Atique E Rabbani, Chief at Blockchain Academy for Research, Education and Development (BARED), Mr. Mozammel Haq Babu, Chief Executive Ekattor TV, Shyam Sunder Sikder, Chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and South Asian Telecommunication Regulators’ Council (SATRC) – were present at the book unveiling ceremony. 

The ICT industry of Bangladesh underwent major changes and observed tremendous growth. In the last two years, because of the pandemic, there has been a drastic shift. More people are now using internet. ABORTO Analog Theke Digital Bangladesh O Amra by Abdullah H Kafi, would give readers a glimpse of the industry from the 80s till present. Odommo Prokash published the book. 

Mr. Mustafa Jabbar said, “Bangladesh Computer Samity was established in 1986 and I joined it in 1987. I have known Kafi since then. Initially, we faced enormous odds. Things started to change in the 1990s. After Shiekh Hasina’s Government came to power, ICT industry took off. All the major milestones of this industry were achieved during her tenure. Sheikh Hasina’s Digital Bangladesh, the initiative to transform Bangladesh into a Knowledge-based Society within 2021, took the ICT industry to new heights. 

Kafi’s book beautifully describes Bangladesh’s journey from analog era of the 1980s to the Digital era in 2009. This book is a must read for young tech enthusiasts of our country.”

S. M. Kamal said, “Bangladesh got its first computer in 1964 but the use of computer was very limited till the 1980s. Moreover, there was this prevalent idea among government officials that our valuable data will be stolen through computer. In such a condition, we decided to establish a computer trade association and needless to say that it was an uphill battle but we did not give up. Kafi was among those few people, who under my leadership, worked tirelessly to establish BCS. Beside being involved in BCS, Kafi navigated his career, started his own company and became immensely successful. Now, he came out as a writer with this book. ABORTO Analog Theke Digital Bangladesh O Amra covers different aspects of our ICT industry- its challenges and possibilities.”

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A Towhid said, “At present, there is no book or website that contains the complete history of Bangladesh’s ICT industry.  One can get information from news articles but that is insufficient. Hence, I want to say that Kafi’s book is a very timely initiative. Reading this book, young people of our country can know how our ICT industry reached its current level. This book is also helpful for those who want to do research on Bangladeshi ICT industry.” 

Abdullah H Kafi said, “Today is a big day in our history. Hence, I decided to present my book to the readers on this auspicious occasion. Our country just completed its Golden Jubilee last year.Under the visionary leadership of our current Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, the ICT industry of Bangladesh reached new heights. The ICT industry is making major contribution to our economic growth and it will only increase in the coming years. 

Today, a young boy or girl can instantly connect with the world with their smartphones but in the 1980s when we were young, it was unthinkable. From there, we have come so far. In my book, I mainly talked about this journey. A handful of people worked tirelessly to develop the foundation of this industry. I wanted the young generation to know about these people, their struggle and sacrifice.” 

Abdullah H Kafi started his career as a computer trainer in 1980. He then worked in Flora Limited. Later, he established his own company J.A.N Associates. One of the founding members of Bangladesh Computer Samity, Mr. Kafi served as its president from 2000 to 2001. At this time, he started representing BCS in The Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO), Asia’s largest ICT trade federation. In 2005, he became ASOCIO’s  vice chairman and Deputy Chairman in 2010.  In 2013-2014, he was elected as the Chairman of ASOCIO. For his contribution, in 2018 he received ASOCIO highest award named “The ASOCIO Honorary Award”. He also received the prestigious Digital Bangladesh Award and BASIS Lifetime Achievement Award. 

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Apple to spend $30 billion on Broadcom chips as it boosts US sourcing

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Apple , opens new tab plans to spend more than $30 ​billion under a multi-year chip supply deal with Broadcom, bolstering ‌its U.S. sourcing as President Donald Trump’s administration pushes to expand domestic chip manufacturing.
Broadcom shares rose more than 4%, while Apple shares were ​down marginally.
Apple said on Wednesday the deal, which ​was struck earlier this week and runs through 2031, ⁠covers FBAR filters – or radio-frequency chips used for ​wireless connectivity in its devices – that it had been ​developing with Broadcom since at least 2023.
Broadcom will invest $1.5 billion to expand its Fort Collins, Colorado, factory under the deal, which Apple ​said would result in the production of at ​least 15 billion chips and support its work with the Trump ‌administration ⁠to source more components domestically.
“The cutting-edge components built in Fort Collins are essential to delivering the incredible performance and connectivity our customers expect, and we’re proud to deepen our ​investments in ​U.S.-based suppliers ⁠that share our commitment to excellence and innovation,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in ​a statement.
“We’re grateful to the president and his ​administration ⁠for supporting important projects like this.”
In August 2025, Apple raised its U.S. investment commitment to $600 billion over four ⁠years, adding $100 billion ​to a previously announced spending ​plan.

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China plans to let top AI firms buy limited Nvidia H200 chips, the Information reports

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China is planning to allow the country’s top AI companies to buy a limited number of Nvidia’s, opens new tab H200 chips, ​the Information reported on Wednesday, citing two people with direct knowledge ‌of the matter.
Chinese officials have told Alibaba, opens new tab, ByteDance and DeepSeek in recent weeks that they may soon receive permission to buy some H200 chips, the report said.
Shares of Nvidia ​rose 1% after the report.
The chip giant did not immediately respond to ​a Reuters request for comment, nor did the U.S. commerce ⁠department, which oversees exports of advanced AI chips overseas.
China’s commerce ministry also ​did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while Alibaba, ByteDance and ​DeepSeek did not respond outside of regular business hours.
The U.S. government has allowed Nvidia to sell its advanced H200 chips to China, and licensed about 10 Chinese firms to buy the ​chips. However, Chinese officials, keen to nurture domestic suppliers, have withheld approval so ​far.
Reuters reported in March that Nvidia had won Beijing’s approval to sell the chips to China, ‌citing ⁠sources, and around the same time, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also told CNBC that the company had clearance from China.
Beijing is still determining the exact number of Nvidia chips to approve, and it could amount to fewer than 200,000 ​in total, the ​Information said, adding ⁠that was less than half of what the companies requested earlier this year.
Last month, Reuters exclusively reported that Nvidia told ​Chinese clients its new “Vera” central processors for AI data centres ​could be ⁠available as soon as August and that they can begin placing orders.
Nvidia’s market share in China has effectively fallen to zero, Huang said in October, hurt ⁠by U.S. ​export controls and Beijing’s push for self-reliance in ​key technologies.
The potential shift in China’s stance underscores the growing computing capacity crunch that the country’s ​tech companies are facing.

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Australia’s under-16 social media ban fails first age check hurdle, study finds

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A team of software testers found that Australian social media platforms did not request age proof for any of 50 accounts that declared themselves to be 16, a result that leaves the country’s world-first under-16 ban “ineffective” at the most basic screening stage, according to a study seen by Reuters.

Since December, platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube have been required to bar people under 16 and take “reasonable steps” to verify age, with regulators recommending multiple layered checks. But the new research, conducted by those who advised the nationwide curb, shows that the initial vetting step, which estimates a user’s age from general online activity, is failing to flag young people for tougher verification.
The testers, who last year trialled age-assurance software on more than 1,000 Australians, opened 50 new accounts after the law took effect and set the age as 16. None of the platforms asked for additional proof, the researchers told Reuters. The findings highlight a flaw that has been largely overlooked while public debate has focused on photo-based age-estimation tools.

The ban’s rollout has been widely criticised after surveys indicated that most under-16s still access the platforms. The government last month doubled the maximum fine and warned of possible court action against tech giants, accusing them of setting the system up to fail. Platforms have countered that they are simply following the regulator’s guidance, which prioritises low-friction checks and prevents reliance on government ID alone due to privacy concerns.

Some advisers to the original trial said they had repeatedly warned that the testing process ignored real-world circumvention, including minors entering false birthdates. “We did want to talk about circumvention, but we kept on being told that that wasn’t part of the actual trial,” Colm Gannon of the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children told Reuters. A youth digital rights academic involved in a longer-term study of the ban said more impressive results might emerge once platforms move to age-inference methods later in the year. The regulator maintains that the recommended layered approach, if implemented correctly, ensures no single point of failure.

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