By Mazharul Anwar Khan

DHAKA, Aug 10, 2025 (BSS) - Interim government has stridden in building a robust interoperable framework to unify fragmented digital systems in shaping governance in last one year after the mass uprising that redefined Bangladesh's political trajectory, ending Hasina's almost 16 years autocratic rule.
 
Chief Adviser's Special Assistant on the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb said that the initiative with the vision of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is transforming governance enabling seamless data exchange, coordinated service delivery, and data-driven decision-making across ministries and agencies.
 
He highlighted that interoperability is the first of four philosophical pillars guiding the government's digital transformation. 

The initiative aims to enable seamless data sharing and data-driven decision-making, replacing fragmented services with a unified, citizen-centric platform, he said.
 
To achieve this, Taiyeb said the government has engaged donor and data partners to end isolated digital systems. In the process, officials identified gaps in legal frameworks, including the absence of a Cyber Safety Ordinance, Personal Data Protection Act, National Cloud Policy, and policies on Blockchain and AI. 

Reforms are underway in the ICT and Telecom Acts, including licensing policies, he added.
 
From the outset of its tenure, the special assistant said the current administration has prioritized interoperability, identifying it as a foundational pillar of its digital transformation strategy. 

The previous government had created numerous digital silos, with each ministry independently developing its own hardware, software, data centers, and storage systems, he said. 
 
The present government's objective has been to connect these isolated systems and establish interoperability across the board, he added.
 
Describing this as the administration's most ambitious aspiration, Taiyeb said the vision is gradually being realized through the development of a comprehensive Digital Public Infrastructure. 

"To advance this goal, all donor and data partners were brought together and informed that the government would no longer pursue isolated digital systems. Instead, it is fully committed to building interoperable platforms," he said.

As the initiative progressed, three critical gaps were identified, foremost among them, the absence of legal frameworks, he continued. 

The special assistant said while the Digital Security Act (DSA) was in place, there were no provisions for a Cyber Safety Ordinance, a Personal Data Protection Act, a National Cloud Policy, or formal policies on Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence.
 
In the process of drafting these policy frameworks, he said the government uncovered structural issues within the existing ICT Act. Similar challenges were found in the Telecom Act, particularly in its licensing policies, prompting a comprehensive reform effort, he added.
 
"Once interoperability is established, we'll be able to deliver services more effectively to the people," Taiyeb said. 

"However, the government also identified that data costs were disproportionately high. Upon investigating the issue, it became clear that the root cause lay in the country's data infrastructure. To address this, a nationwide fiberization initiative was set as a strategic target," he said.
 
Extensive consultations were held with mobile network operators, who were offered certain incentives in exchange for firm commitments to fiberization. 

"In response to the concerns raised by other stakeholders affected by these incentives, we engaged the mobile operators more deeply and assigned them clear fiberization goals," the special assistant said. 
 
Parallel discussions were conducted with Internet Service Providers (ISPs), and a measure of competitive pressure, such as the introduction of Starlink, was applied to encourage improvements. These efforts led to clear service commitments from ISPs.
 
Refocusing on the government's four strategic priorities, Taiyeb said the first objective is to elevate interoperability to a level where institutions can not only share data but also make data-driven decisions. Such decisions require high-quality data, which in turn depends on robust interoperability.
 
Currently, many institutions in Bangladesh rely on secondary data, which often lacks credibility and precision, he said.

To resolve this, the government examined five key economic entities--NBR, BBS, the Planning Division, the Ministry of Finance, and the Office of the Auditor General--each of which had been managing data independently. These five bodies form the backbone of the nation's economic infrastructure.
 
Individual consultations were held with each of these institutions to chart a path forward, the special assistant said.

"The government's plan involves implementing interoperability in two distinct layers. The first layer will enable direct API exchanges among these core economic entities. The second layer will establish a National Data Governance and Interoperability Authority, encompassing not only these five organizations but all 57 ministries and departments, he said.
 
In essence, interoperability will unfold in two phases: one will focus on the economic core, and the other on the broader national framework. Once both layers are operational, a physical, interoperable structure will be in place.
 
This constitutes the second layer of the Digital Public Infrastructure. The first layer comprises the legal framework, which includes essential laws and policies such as the Cyber Safety Ordinance, Personal Data Protection Act, Data Governance Ordinance, AI Policy, Cloud Policy, and Blockchain Policy.
 
Above this legal foundation, the second layer will manage interoperability exchanges, divided into two segments: one for the digital economy and another for national-level interoperability. 
 
These exchanges serve dual purposes: to generate quality data for decision-making and to organize national data governance, thereby unlocking new avenues for citizen services.
 
The next step is the authentication layer, the special assistant said.

"At present, Bangladesh lacks a comprehensive system for citizen identification. To address this, the government partnered with the European Union, which is currently conducting an inception study on the matter. Although the process is taking time, the government remains committed to building a robust authentication framework," he said.
 
In parallel with internal reforms, the government has launched a citizen service phase of interoperability to simplify public service delivery, he added.

This phase integrates front-facing services, including City Corporation, NBR, passport offices, NID services, driving license issuance, and birth and death registration into a unified digital platform, he continued.
 
"This initiative, known as the Citizen Phase of Interoperability, is being implemented through a National API Connect system. The goal is to gradually replace fragmented service desks with a single, consolidated interface," he said. 
 
In initial approach it started aggressively, but the government recognized the need for a learning curve, especially given the inflexibility of foreign vendors managing systems in key sectors such as Land, Passport, and Driving License.
 
Despite these challenges, approximately 100 citizen services have already been integrated, he added.
 
Taiyeb said that isolated digital services do not constitute true digital transformation as real transformation will only be achieved when all services are interconnected through the National API Hub, enabling genuine digital decentralization.
 
At the second layer of the Digital Public Infrastructure, two core systems are being developed: the National Connectivity Bus and the National Service Bus. These form the backbone of the government's ICT vision, he said.
 
To support this architecture, the government is expanding key subcomponents. The National Data Center is being upgraded in three areas, BDCL's cloud infrastructure is being enhanced, and partnerships are being formed with private companies under a PPP model. 
 
In addition, efforts are underway to support the startups meaningfully. Collaborations with BIDA and the Ministry of Youth aim to ensure that startup funding and selection processes remain transparent and disciplined beyond the current administration's tenure.
 
To prevent a repeat of past practices, where SME and startup funds were allegedly distributed to partisan beneficiaries, clear selection criteria have been established. The Hi-Tech Park Act has also been amended to regulate land and space allocation.
 
Major reforms have been enacted at a2i and Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), the special assistant said, adding all poorly designed a2i projects have been discontinued. 

The D-Nothi system, previously plagued by server downtime, weak virtual machine monitoring, and lack of dashboards, has been optimized and is now being promoted for wider adoption, he continued.

"We've optimized all of this and brought D-Nothi to a much better place," he added.
 
"We are now pushing D-Nothi to the Chief Adviser's Office and various ministries to encourage broader adoption," said the special assistant, adding that the innovation component will remain with a2i, while operational responsibilities will gradually shift to DOICT.
 
At BCC, significant upgrades are underway, including the development of hardware and software quality testing facilities and improvements to the search infrastructure, he also said.
 
Under the Cyber Safety Ordinance, the government is building long-term technical capacity for the National Cyber Security Center, with support from the World Bank. A national Security Operations Center (SOC) is also being established.

Taiyeb said that in review of 20 to 21 ICT projects, the government has shut down one and reassessed the remainder, leading to the discontinuation of initiatives worth approximately Taka 2,500 crore. 

No new projects have been introduced in the current budget; instead, the focus has shifted to optimizing existing programs, he said.
 
Within the ICT sector, all departments, from the Certificate Authority to the DOICT's "End Mile project", have been aligned with user data-centric payment systems. 

Network connections are now monitored through a centralized Network Management System (NMS), ensuring accurate tracking and disbursement of payments.
 
In the telecom and ICT sectors, two white papers are being developed independently under the ICT and Telecom divisions. Both teams have requested time extensions, which are currently under consideration.
 
Among the six telecom companies under government oversight, submarine cable capacity has been increased by 120 percent. To reduce Bangladesh's 70 percent internet dependency on India, a new policy has been enacted to ensure a balanced 50-50 distribution. More than ten reform proposals have been submitted to Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL), and implementation is underway.
 
The cost of Bangladesh submarine cable Company PLC's VSAT sets has been reduced dramatically, from Taka 250,000 to just Taka 1,500, with plans to distribute them through the shipping ministry and other channels, said Taiyeb.
 
Discussions are ongoing with investors to facilitate private sector participation in telecom manufacturing under the Telephone Shilpa Sangstha Limited (TSS) framework, he said. 
 
A comprehensive telecom policy has been drafted and submitted to the Cabinet. Following a review meeting, the policy is expected to return to the Cabinet for final approval.
 
Overall, the government is streamlining its digital and telecom policies to ensure coherence and efficiency, added the special assistant to the chief adviser.
 
Extensive work is also being carried out on national interoperability and data governance, with the aim of anchoring future digital services, agro-tech innovations, and government decision-making in reliable, data-driven systems, he added.
 
Looking ahead, he revealed, the government plans to digitize Bangla content in August. Currently, most Bangla texts remain confined to books, journals, and print formats. The initiative seeks to unlock this content to build a Bangla Large Language Model (LLM), making the language accessible to search engines and laying the groundwork for AI development in Bangla.
 
Philosophically, the special assistant said, the government's digital strategy is structured around four key frameworks: legal, interoperability and connectivity, authentication, and service. While moderate progress has been made in three of these areas, the authentication framework remains underdeveloped due to dependencies on the others.
 
Taiyeb said that their next step is the transformation of ICT facilities across the country into training and development centers. 
 
In collaboration with NSDA, modern training curricula are being designed, with setting completion target by August. Once finalized, the certificate-based programs will be launched in areas such as entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, Python programming, and other ICT-relevant skills, he added.