GDP growth means nothing if the lives of our people do not benefit from this progress. In our country, unequal distribution enriches the rich and impoverishes the poor. With the advent of digital transformation, we hope to take a leap forward, overcoming many of our infrastructural limitations by becoming more aware of the digital divide due to lack of digital literacy, absence of smartphones, availability data at an affordable cost and an active desire to include the excluded or neglected. mass.

The importance of digital transformation and mobile applications and/or web services for all public services cannot be overstated. All government, semi-government and private organizations offering financial and non-financial services are building digital infrastructure. As more and more services become available, the quality of offerings, human-centered design and digital conversion must be improved to see a real difference in the lives of ordinary people. There are additional challenges related to the cost and availability of two basic infrastructure elements:

1. Toll-free call center or help center numbers

2. Availability of balance internet/mobile internet in handhelds of lower middle and low income groups.

Smartphone penetration and the cost of mobile talk time and internet are equally important; these are discussed in many forums.

The provision of digital services requires support from a 24/7 call center; calls to these call centers are often expensive due to the cost of calls associated with short codes (Tk 2++ per minute). Customers have to bear Tk 20-25 depending on the call duration. In developed countries, toll-free lines are part of their customer-friendly culture and common practices and are reinforced by regulatory guidelines. For us to progress and achieve greater inclusion through digital penetration, the barriers resulting from lack of quality of service and unwanted charges must be urgently addressed. As a technology professional, I call for attention and action from all relevant agencies, service providers and regulators to help resolve this issue and build an inclusive Bangladesh.

As with free lines, at BRAC Bank we have organized free use of our banking application for our customers. Here, the bank bears the internet usage charges (digital rewards) while customers use the Astha app. This was possible in collaboration with mobile operators. Few other banks also adopt this practice. Astha customers, even in remote corners of Bangladesh, are no longer limited by the availability of their internet balance/access to banking services. As a result, our digital banking penetration is the highest in the market.

All digitally accessible public services will be of no use in the absence of Internet access. For large service providers like bKash, Nagad, Rocket, Upay, government service apps, websites, etc., we can ensure greater inclusion by building the following, which providers can afford and prefer implement.

In the absence of free Internet access for public use, we can lead the way through mobile operators to guarantee free Internet access to customers who do not have an Internet balance or simply lack one when using the specific service. Here the service providers will step in and bear the cost of this internet provision. This will be a win-win for customers, operators, service providers and for the country given the expected greater penetration of inclusive digital services. With adequate awareness and regulatory support, many organizations would subscribe to such a service.

We need support from the BTRC, other regulators, mobile operators and service providers to realize the benefits of inclusive digital services. By subscribing to this cause, we can ensure that our economic growth is shared more equitably with the entire population. This collaboration is crucial to delivering on our promise of inclusive digital services.

It goes without saying that learning to cycle cannot be unlearned, nor would this be the case for someone who has learned to access a public service digitally – whether financial or non-financial. Having benefited from this experience, customers would demand and subscribe to more digital services. The demand for such services is expected to increase significantly when services are tailored to these needs.

Sabbir Hossain is the DMD and COO of BRAC Bank PLC.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.

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