Talking Points: ICT Task Force

1. The world is converging when it comes to IT and ICT services are

coming together. If these are govern by separate entities, the end
result might not be delivered as expected.

2. IT and ICT are very much interlinked, when MoPT is developing

telecommunication infrastructure and associated mechanism; the
delivery of services (which are riding over these infrastructures) are
being developed by a different ministry. MoPT, when planning for new
infrastructure, can’t predict what would be the amount of services
riding over that fixed infrastructure.

3. Currently, as there is no communication between ministries, all are

duplicating their efforts on developing end to end environment; where
as some other ministries have undertaken those already.

4. The ICT and IT are complementary to each other, but if these are being
govern by ministries who doesn’t have the complete picture of the
whole scenario, it might end up with the situation where those “blind
men encountered the elephant”.

5. If the ministries are working single handedly, the outcomes might get
delayed as all these are interconnected.

6. For FDA (Foreign Direct Investment), interfacing with a single ministry

of contact in the form of one entity means it’s faster, more convenient
and informative, quickens the decision making process, saves cost,
increases efficiency and offers procedural clarity for local and foreign
IT/ICT companies to prosper. These are pro-investor conditions that are
likely to increase foreign direct investment flow in Bangladesh.