Bangladesh offers a great example of how the mobile market can contribute to economic growth, according to a new report from GSMA Intelligence, the GSMA’s new market research arm. And it also helps to illustrate the importance of government support, with biometric registration now a requirement for mobile subscribers in the country.
The GSMA says that in 2015, the country’s mobile sector, accounted for 6.2 percent of its GDP, with a contribution value at about $13 billion. That puts its performance close to the average metrics of its neighbors, even though it has a slightly lower mobile subscriber penetration, at 53 percent. Going forward, GSMA Intelligence expects the market to grow to a value of $17 billion by 2020, with the number of jobs in the sector rising from 780,000 last year to 850,000.
It’s a notable performance given the government’s recently-imposed requirement of biometric registration of mobile subscribers, a move aimed at building security against criminals and terrorists keen to obtain phones under assumed identities. How this regulation affects the mobile sector’s market dynamics is a complicated question, but it’s worth noting that in GSMA Intelligence’s new report, GSMA Head of Spectrum Brett Tarnutzer asserts that by “systematically pursuing a policy framework that increases certainty, acknowledges market realities and removes regulatory barriers to investment and innovation,” the Bangladeshi government can further enrich the market in the years to come.
Follow Us