The Internet Industry in Bangladesh

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

As the days go on, the civilization gradually depending on the new innovation of the world. Why the people are so desperately grasping this newer because it makes life easier and smooth. Just a simple example makes the matter clear to us, yes this is Internet that gives the world a new dimension in technological advancement that is beyond imagination before 1970's. Now a day the modern people can't think a day without internet just because this is the not only the pivotal part in communication but also it connects the whole world in a singular path that is called www (World Wide Web) and a third country like Bangladesh also is not lagging behind in this internet culture.

As a part of my evaluation process through Internship program, I choose this interesting issue that is more about internet culture in Bangladesh, the users and its prospects in ourtfd country. To probe into the more fact about this I choose Link3 Technologies ltd, one of the leading companies in the ISP sector who really plays an important role to make the people more familiar with internet culture. Working in this company during last two month, I have closely observed the company activities in this sector that really give me a good knowledge how we can utilize this as a product before the people because there is a big internet market in Bangladesh and day by day from a person to a corporate office fully depends on this media for their communication through email.

As an leading ISP how Link3 Technologies ltd operates their business in this sector, their network architecture, network coverage in Bangladesh and the product and services for the clients - all of these relevant issues I enclose in this paper . Still there are lots of obstructions to start this in Bangladesh. So the young entrepreneurs, who started this work at first, would face a lot of problems in every step. As Internet service is based on computers, so it needs huge investment. As people had no idea about Internet and market was not ready, thus the investment in this sector was really risky compared to any other sector.

2. THE INTERNET INDUSTRY IN BANGLADESH : AN OVERVIEW

2.1 WHAT IS INTERNET

Internet is the most talked about and modern technology in the world at the moment. It was originated during 1970s in a small scale, but spread in an unbelievable pace during 1980s. An undeveloped and backward country like Bangladesh was also hit by the wave of Internet. At the onset of 1990s, there was a demand to start Internet in Bangladesh.

Some Definitions

* The Internet, or simply the Net, is the publicly available worldwide system of interconnected computer networks that transmit data by packet switching using a standardized Internet Protocol (IP) and many other protocols. It is made up of thousands of smaller commercial, academic, and government networks. It carries various information and services, such as electronic mail, online chat and the interlinked web pages and other documents of the World Wide Web.

* The Internet is a worldwide system of computer networks - a network of networks in which users at any one computer can, if they have permission, get information from any other computer (and sometimes talk directly to users at other computers).

* An electronic communications network that connects computer networks and organizational computer facilities around the world.

* A large global network comprised of thousands of smaller networks. The World Wide Web is one element of the Internet.

2.2 A BRIEF HISTORY OF INTERNET

The Internet was the result of some visionary thinking by people in the early 1960s who saw great potential value in allowing computers to share information on research and development in scientific and military fields. J.C.R. Licklider of MIT, first proposed a global network of computers in 1962, and moved over to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in late 1962 to head the work to develop it. Leonard Kleinrock of MIT and later UCLA developed the theory of packet switching, which was to form the basis of Internet connections. Lawrence Roberts of MIT connected a Massachusetts computer with a California computer in 1965 over dial-up telephone lines. It showed the feasibility of wide area networking, but also showed that the telephone line's circuit switching was inadequate. Kleinrock's packet switching theory was confirmed. Roberts moved over to DARPA in 1966 and developed his plan for ARPANET. These visionaries and many more left unnamed here are the real founders of the Internet.

The Internet, then known as ARPANET, was brought online in 1969 under a contract let by the renamed Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) which initially connected four major computers at universities in the southwestern US (UCLA, Stanford Research Institute, UCSB, and the University of Utah). The contract was carried out by BBN of Cambridge, MA under Bob Kahn and went online in December 1969.

The Internet was designed in part to provide a communications network that would work even if some of the sites were destroyed by nuclear attack. If the most direct route was not available, router would direct traffic around the network via alternate routes.

The early Internet was used by computer experts, engineers, scientists, and librarians. There was nothing friendly about it. There were no home or office personal computers in those days, and anyone who used it, whether a computer professional or an engineer or scientist or librarian, had to learn to use a very complex system.

2.3 INTERNET INDUSTRIES IN BANGLADEH

The number of Internet users in Bangladesh is increasing significantly. On December, 1996 the number of Internet users were one thousand and on December, 1997, the number shot up to 12,000, on December 1998 shot up to 30,000. It is expected to be more than sixty thousand in 2000 and the number will be more than one lakh in 2004.

There are about 62 ISPs in Bangladesh at the moment. In all they already invest more than 30 crore. It creates employment for 3000 people. All of them are computer literate and efficient professionals. Before the inception of ISPs, these efficient professionals used to leave the country. Thus the country was deprived of the service of these brilliant workers.

At present every ISP used to send and receive average 2 lakh e-mail every month. Every month all ISP used to send and receive 40 lakh e-mail. Thus they used to send and receive 5 crore