Page 72 - SAMENA Trends - June-July 2025

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Bangladesh Hosts First BEAR Summit, Semiconductor Symposium to Boost

Deep-Tech Ambitions

Bangladesh has taken a major leap toward establishing itself as a tion Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) Project and ICSETEP
hub for deep-tech innovation by hosting its inaugural Biotech, Elec- initiative, aimed at reforming tertiary education and enhancing
tronics, AI, and Robotics (BEAR) Summit alongside the Bangladesh CSE/IT capabilities to meet 4IR demands," he said. Leading insti-
National Semiconductor Symposium 2025. The two-day event, tutions involved in ICSETEP include the University of Dhaka, BUET,
held at the National Science and Technology Complex in Agarga- and Jashore University of Science and Technology (JUST). BUET
on, Dhaka, is jointly organised by the ICT Division and the Bangla- Vice-Chancellor Dr ABM Badruzzaman and ICT Secretary Shish
desh Computer Council (BCC) under the EDGE Project. Chief Ad- Haider Chowdhury also addressed the inaugural session. During
viser's Special Assistant Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb inaugurated the event. a panel discussion, Tanveer Ali, chairman of Constellation Asset
Speaking at the programme, Taiyeb said, "We are building a Digital Management, told The Business Standard, "The BEAR Summit is
Public Infrastructure and formulating a National AI Policy. We're a unique platform to explore both challenges and opportunities in
also developing a natural intelligence-based AI model in Bangla. AI. "Young entrepreneurs can leverage today's accessible technol-
Our goal is to empower the youth and support entrepreneurs en- ogies to build startups and SMEs – particularly in fields like digital
tering the semiconductor industry." The summit brought together content creation and marketing – without needing massive capital.
stakeholders from academia, industry, and the global tech commu- This is a game-changer for youth-led innovation." The day-long con-
nity, reflecting Bangladesh's aspirations to transform into a knowl- ference featured several technical sessions and panel discussions.
edge-based economy driven by frontier technologies. Professor Companies such as Neural Semiconductor Limited, Ulkasemi, and
Md Saidur Rahman, member of the University Grants Commission THiNK Global Limited showcased their innovations at the event.
(UGC), highlighted the importance of higher education in enabling The event will continue till today, with expert sessions, workshops,
this transition. "Two key projects are underway, the Higher Educa- and exhibitions showcasing cutting-edge research, innovation, and
business models. According to organisers, over 2,500 participants
attended, with 60% being students and 40% professionals. Around
30% joined virtually from abroad. Representatives from 30 univer-
sities and all local semiconductor companies participated, and
more than 300 posters and demos were submitted. Recently, the
government's 13-member Semiconductor Taskforce, formed on 1
January, has submitted a formal report to the chief adviser, out-
lining a strategic roadmap prioritising skills development, a busi-
ness-friendly environment, and policy support, alongside stronger
global partnerships. The roadmap proposes short, medium, and
long-term measures to support the sector. It identifies three main
areas of the semiconductor value chain – chip design, manufactur-
ing, and testing and packaging. While Bangladesh has near-term
potential to enter chip design and testing/packaging, full-scale
chip manufacturing would require substantial investment and a
highly skilled workforce and is therefore recommended as a long-
term goal.

Pakistan’s Telecom Sector Sees 38% Surge in Data Usage

According to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), 23. Teledensity remained stable around 81%, indicating a mature
data usage in Pakistan’s telecom sector rose by 37.84% over three market with limited subscriber growth potential. Infrastructure
years, climbing from 20,235 petabytes (PB) in 2022-23 to 27,897 development continued with cell sites increasing by 8.03% over
PB in 2024-25. Year-on-year growth was 10.96% compared to three years to 57,888 in 2024-25, supporting rising demand in urban
25,141 PB recorded in 2023-24. This sharp increase is driven by and rural areas. Despite these gains, telecom sector revenues
higher consumption on streaming platforms, online education, declined 15.91% year-on-year to Rs. 803 billion in 2024-25 from Rs.
e-commerce, and mobile apps. Broadband subscribers expanded 955 billion in 2023-24, and dipped slightly by 1.71% compared to
from 127.6 million in 2022-23 to 150 million in 2024-25, marking Rs. 817 billion in 2022-23. Contributions to the national exchequer
a 17.55% rise over three years and an 8.47% increase from 138.3 rose to Rs. 271 billion in 2024-25, recovering from Rs. 195.1
million in 2023-24. Broadband penetration grew from 53.6% to billion in 2023-24 but still below Rs. 341 billion in 2022-23.Overall,
60.8%, showing significant progress in internet accessibility Pakistan’s telecom sector continues to show robust user growth
nationwide. Total telecom subscribers reached 200 million in and network expansion despite revenue fluctuations.
2024-25, growing modestly by 3.36% from 193.5 million in 2022-
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