Tech
Corruption behind Tk 650bn investment in telecom, ICT sectors
ICT Advisor Nahid Islam has said due to ‘irregularities’, Bangladesh has not realised the full benefits of the ‘Digital Bangladesh’ initiative despite a substantial investment of Tk 650 billion in the telecommunications and ICT sectors under the Awami League government.
Speaking at an ADP review meeting at the Posts and Telecommunication Division on Monday, Nahid criticised the execution of numerous costly projects under the ‘Digital Bangladesh’ banner which, according to him, failed to deliver their promised impact.
From fiscal year 2010-11 to 2024-25, the ICT Division implemented projects worth Tk 250 billion, while the Posts and Telecommunications Division accounted for projects totaling Tk 400 billion.
Despite these investments, Bangladesh scored a modest 62 out of 100 in the June 2024 edition of the ICT Development Index by the United Nations International Telecommunication Union, trailing behind nations such as Myanmar, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Vietnam, and Bhutan.
Highlighting the country’s technological lag, Nahid referenced the May 2024 Ookla Speedtest Global Index, where Bangladesh ranked 109th out of 147 countries in internet speed, below Kenya.
Also, Bangladesh placed 108th in broadband internet performance, with India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Rwanda, and Ghana all performing better.
In the realm of artificial intelligence, the IMF’s June 2024 Artificial Intelligence Preparedness Index placed Bangladesh 113th, again behind India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Rwanda, and Ghana.
The Digital Quality of Life Index 2023 by cybersecurity firm Surfshark saw Bangladesh drop five notches to 82nd among 121 countries, with internet speed 5 percent below the global average.
Rankings in the Key Government Index, e-security, and internet purchasing capacity were similarly below par.
Nahid also pointed out that Bangladesh lags in freelancing, ranked 29th among the top 30 global destinations, as per an April 2024 report by US-based CEOWORLD magazine, trailing behind India and Pakistan.
These indicators, according to Nahid, reflect not just the failure to enjoy the full benefits of digital initiatives but also suggest pervasive irregularities in the sector.
He criticised the frequent delays and the need for repeated extensions in project timelines, calling for more sensible proposals regarding extensions.
Nahid emphasised that timely and proper project completion could significantly propel the nation’s progress in internet and telecommunication sectors, benefitting all Bangladeshis.
The meeting disclosed that nine projects are currently underway within the four offices of the Posts and Telecommunications Division for the fiscal year 2024-25, involving entities such as Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited, or BTCL, Teletalk Bangladesh Limited, the Directorate of Posts, and Bangladesh Submarine Cables PLC.
As of August 2024, national-level project progress for the fiscal year was reported at 1.02 percent, with the Posts and Telecommunications Division achieving a progress rate of 3.84 percent.
Tech
Apple to spend $30 billion on Broadcom chips as it boosts US sourcing
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.
China
China plans to let top AI firms buy limited Nvidia H200 chips, the Information reports
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.
Tech
Australia’s under-16 social media ban fails first age check hurdle, study finds
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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