Prime Minister’s postal and telecommunications adviser Rehan Asif Asad said Bangladesh aims to bring 70 million people under mobile internet coverage within the next six to 12 months. He made the announcement on Saturday at a roundtable titled “Spectrum for a Connected Bangladesh: Enabling Internet for All,” organised by the Telecom and Technology Reporters Network Bangladesh at a hotel in the capital.

Asad said about half of the country’s roughly 140 million mobile phone users still use 2G or button phones. Moving those estimated 70 million users to smartphones overnight would not be possible, he said, but a gradual transition could be achieved through joint efforts. Work on the issue began two weeks before the budget, he added. Manufacturers said a phone could not be produced for Tk3,000, but could be made for Tk5,000 to Tk6,000.

He cited a roughly $39 Android phone sold by India’s Reliance, saying its combination of a smaller touchscreen and keypad reduced costs by about $6. Bangladeshi manufacturers have begun pursuing similarly low-cost smartphones. He urged mobile operators to work with manufacturers on co-branding and bundled voice and data packages.