DHAKA: Mobile handsets import in Bangladesh increased by 11 per cent in 2016. The country imported 31 million mobile handsets at a cost of Tk 80 billion ($ 980 million) in the year, according to the Bangladesh Mobile Phone Importers Association (BMPIA). Of the imports, the BMPIA data showed the number of smartphone units was 8.2 million worth Tk 65 billion ($ 800 million). Within such an expanding market, top brands are providing stiff competition to gain more access to the hotpot market.
Industry insiders have said Bangladesh has already become a sizable mobile market and now the market share of smartphones, which is currently about 30 per cent of total mobile handsets, is set to jump with the imminent launching of Long-Term Evaluation (LTE) services, also known as 4G services in the country. A Chinese technology company last week said it is planning to set up a mobile phone assembly factory in the country in the shortest possible time to grab a slice of the fast-growing smartphone market. The Bangladeshi government has withdrawn customs duty on a number of mobile and laptop assembling parts in the national budget for the current 2017-18 fiscal year, according to a report by Xinhua.
