INTRODUCTION

At the very beginning to discuss about the impact of computer technology in Bangladesh, we should first know what the computer and computer technology is. A computer is a programmable machine that receives input, stores and manipulates data/information, and provides output in a useful format. Computer technology is the activity of designing and constructing and programming computers. In Bangladesh though the computer technology has not reached to its pinnacle as in the developed countries in respect to the use and/or utility, but it is developed much in the recent years. Now a day the people of urban areas of Bangladesh are largely using the facilities of computer technology while amongst the others, internet facilities are the major one. Computer technology has changed the speed of work as well as life in both organizational and individual sector. Now, many of the works of an organization is automated because of the advanced computer technology and adaptation of that technology in the organization. As the organizations are using the computer technology, normally the speed of overall work process is much faster now and it is having its broad and positive effect on our national economy. In individual aspect, computer technology has brought an evolution in working and communication. Now a person usually doesnt go for a physical mail and largely depends on e-mail if he/she has the availability of a computer and the internet support. Writing of something even if it is an informal one is being written by computer and the hand writing is almost vanished in the market. In Bangladesh, where a small scale shop carried its record keeping activities manually even a few years back, now it is carrying the same job with a computer more efficiently. In a simple way, we can say that the modern computer technology and its adaptation in Bangladesh has been changed the overall working style of organizations and the individuals in a large scale and brought a faster lifestyle. We will discuss the Impact of computer technology and its impact in Bangladesh more elaborately in the rest of this report. Business Communication -1-

FINDINGS
The first computer ever installed in Bangladesh was an IBM 1620 Series Mainframe and that was in the 1964 at the then Pakistan Atomic Commission. In 1969 an IBM 360 series Computer was installed at the Bureau of Statistics. After independence The Bureau of Statistics installed some more computers for their organization. The early 1990s have seen a wide growth in the worldwide IT industry and Bangladesh is no different. The introduction of Internet and also the internationally renowned IT training institutes opened their branches in Bangladesh which interested the youths and that also created awareness not only to the individuals but also to the businesses as well. Although IT industry has come a long way it is always been an argument if Bangladesh has really achieved what other countries for example the neighboring India has. In this paper we will try to investigate if there has really been the IT Revolution in Bangladesh. The IT awareness actually known to have grown among the public as Bangladesh connected itself to the World Wide Web. Although there were a few services providers providing offline internet service that only allowed emails and BBS (Bulletin Board Service) facilities, only in 1996 with a license from Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) ISN started its first online internet service in Bangladesh and were soon followed by Grameen Cyber net and Proshika. And finally on 21st May 2006 Bangladesh was connected to the high speed Submarine cable (Fiber Optic), an idea once abandoned by the government. Bangladesh has also seen some massive changes in the Mobile Communications industry. Most of the country is now enjoying Mobile telephone services using public and private sector service providers. BTRC has the power to grant license to establish and operate telecommunications system in Bangladesh. The Commission is also responsible to grant licenses to the Internet Service Providers (ISP) and grant the use of VSAT in Bangladesh.

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DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNOLOGY (5 Generations)

First Generation (1940-1956) Vacuum Tubes
The first computers used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for memory, and were often enormous, taking up entire rooms. They were very expensive to operate and in addition to using a great deal of electricity, generated a lot of heat, which was often the cause of malfunctions. First generation computers relied on machine language, the lowest-level programming language understood by computers, to perform operations, and they could only solve one problem at a time. Input was based on punched cards and paper tape, and output was displayed on printouts. The UNIVAC and ENIAC computers are examples of firstgeneration computing devices. The UNIVAC was the first commercial computer delivered to a business client, the U.S. Census Bureau in 1951.

Second Generation (1956-1963) Transistors

Transistors replaced vacuum tubes and ushered in the second generation of computers. The transistor was invented in 1947 but did not see widespread use in computers until the late 1950s. The transistor was far superior to the vacuum tube, allowing computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient and more reliable than their firstgeneration predecessors. Though the transistor still generated a great deal of heat that subjected the computer to damage, it was a vast improvement over the vacuum tube. Second-generation computers still relied on punched cards for input and printouts for output. Second-generation computers moved from cryptic binary machine language to symbolic, or assembly, languages, which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words. High-level programming languages were also being developed at this time, such

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as early versions of COBOL and FORTRAN. These were also the first computers that stored their instructions in their memory, which moved from a magnetic drum to magnetic core technology. The first computers of this generation were developed for the automatic energy industry.

Third Generation (1964-1971) Integrated Circuits

The development of the integrated circuit was the hallmark of the third generation of computers. Transistors were miniaturized and placed on silicon chips, called semiconductors, which drastically increased the speed and efficiency of computers. Instead of punched cards and printouts, users interacted with third generation computers through keyboards and monitors and interfaced with an operating system, which allowed the device to run many different applications at one time with a central program that monitored the memory. Computers for the first time became accessible to a mass audience because they were smaller and cheaper than their predecessors.

Fourth Generation (1971-Present) Microprocessors

The microprocessor brought the fourth generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits were built onto a single silicon chip. What in the first generation filled an entire room could now fit in the palm of the hand. The Intel 4004 chip, developed in 1971, located all the components of the computerfrom the central processing unit and memory to input/output controlson a single chip. In 1981 IBM introduced its first computer for the home user, and in 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh. Microprocessors also moved out of the realm of desktop computers and into many areas of life as more and more everyday products began to use microprocessors. As these small computers became more powerful, they could be linked together to form networks, which eventually led to the development of the Internet. Fourth generation computers also saw the development of GUIs, the mouse and handheld devices. Business Communication -4-

Fifth Generation (Present and Beyond) Artificial Intelligence

Fifth generation computing devices, based on artificial intelligence, are still in development, though there are some applications, such as voice recognition, that are being used today. The use of parallel processing and superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality. Quantum computation and molecular and nanotechnology will radically change the face of computers in years to come. The goal of fifth-generation computing is to develop devices that respond to natural language input and are capable of learning and selforganization.

WiMax and Mobile Internet Technology

Three bidders Bangla Lion Communication, BRAC BD Mail Network Ltd and Augere Wireless Broadband Bangladesh Ltd -- won the WiMax licenses through an auction organized by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in September last year. However, BRAC later refused to take the license. WiMax is a technology that provides wireless transmission of data using a variety of transmission modes from point-to-multipoint links to portable and fully mobile internet access. The technology supports peak download rates of up to 46 Mbps and peak uplink rates of up to 14 Mbps. Augere Wireless Broadband Bangladesh Ltd yesterday launched the much-awaited wireless broadband service through WiMax in some designated areas in Dhaka. Augere, one of the two WiMax licensees, is the first company in Bangladesh to launch such service under the brand name 'Qubee'. Augere is initially offering two packages. Initially, the Qubee service is available for businesses and residential customers in Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, Mirpur and Uttara. Qubee will be available across Bangladesh soon.

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Banglalion provides broadband internet services to residential and commercial users in Bangladesh using WiMax technology. They said that consumer and businesses in Bangladesh need and want faster, accessible, and affordable broadband internet service and they are working hard to ensure that. Internet is the most convenient medium of information, through which people can enhance their knowledge, spread the same from one corner of the globe to whichever place they wish with a single click. Communication solutions developed by Grameen phone across all the media have always focused one single thing to help people stay close to their dear ones and to enlighten their lives through free and flawless access to information. Grameen phone internet is another step towards fulfilling this goal. With this step, Grameen phone promises to enlighten the lives of 20 million people by providing easier and faster access to information than ever before. Grameen phone so far brought Internet to people in the following ways. Grameen phone is looking to expand further into the digital world by expanding its internet platforms and developing more internet related products, thus becoming the biggest Internet Service Provider of Bangladesh. Citycell Zoom Ultra is the new and upgraded package from Zoom high-speed wireless internet service that runs on state-of-the-art EV-DO technology, the evolution from CDMA 1X technology. You can experience download speeds of up to 512 kbps, and the Zoom Ultra connection enables you to access this high-speed internet by simply connecting to your laptop or desktop computer. Zoom Ultra provides never-before internet speeds on the move, and plug-and-play service through a versatile USB interface. Currently the Zoom Ultra service is available in Dhaka, Tongi, Gazipur, Narayangonj (Fatullah, Rupganj, and Kachpur), Khulna, Rajshashi, Chittagong, Sylhet Metropolitan areas and Savar EPZ. Since the Ultra Modem is backward compatible with Citycell's Zoom 1X network, so Ultra subscriber also will be able to avail Citycell Zoom 1x network throughout the country where Zoom Ultra is not available. Zoom Ultra data plans are designed to suit your specific needs.

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In the final analysis we can say that, Wireless Communication revolution is becoming a vital element for our country day by day. These wireless technologies create a great impact to our country. All of these WiMax companies and mobile internet service providers are providing high speeds facilitate a superior internet browsing experience with video streaming, video surveillance, and rich media content. WiMax companies are a new company with Integrity, Dynamism, Commitment and Innovation who continuously developing our infrastructure starting in Dhaka and some major cities, thus bringing the whole country under coverage. All of these wireless service providers are passionate about their products, services and customers. They are committed to develop new services, products and facilities to meet client requirements whilst undertaking infrastructure improvements on our existing systems. All of them believe that, in this ever changing world, Bangladesh is changing and these wireless technologies will remain focus to our needs and they are bringing to us a smooth and nonstop online access to the world of information, excitement, fun and lifestyle.

Budget Allocation
In last years non-development budget, Tk. 100 crore was specially allocated for development of ICT sector. Out of that amount, 18 programs worth Tk. 90 crore are being implemented. I propose an allocation of TK.112 crore in FY2010-11 from nondevelopment budget. Alongside, I propose to allocate another Tk. 200 crore in the existing Equity and Entrepreneurship Fund to promote entrepreneurship in the IT sector. Finance Minister AMA Muhith IT leaders Sunday (June 13, 2010) urged the government to extend income tax exemption facilities for the IT services industries until 2021 to attract more investment in the sector. The income tax exemption incentive for the IT industries which is allowed till 2011 should be extended by 10 more years, they said at a post-budget press conference in the city.

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Industry leaders also called for reducing the internet bandwidth price from Tk 18,000 to Tk 7,000 with a view to making internet more affordable to the people. "With the reduced price, we can offer broadband internet at even Tk 300 to the rural people," said the President of internet service providers association Akhteruzzaman Manju.

USE IN DAILY LIFE

Corporate Sector
Like others countries computer technology is vastly used in every sector of Bangladesh also. In the corporate sector no one can think about a single day without computer because computer became one of the most important instruments for completing any kinds of tasks. In the office there should be a record of every employee and their daily routines. These records are kept by the computer software. So that the record became easier to maintain and the possibility of error has been reduced. In the previous time if there are more than hundred employees then it was a great disaster to keep the record but now it is very easy to keep the record of more than thousands employees by computer. Not only that but also all of the works of the corporate sector are controlled by the computer software. Specially all of the private banks of Bangladesh have become computerized now. The government banks are on processing to become computerized. On the other hand presentation is one of the main aspects of the corporate life. In the presentation there could be some graphical views which can make the whole thing more visible. It is very easy to create the graphical views of the thing by computer software. By computers it became easier to make the thing clear to the recipients so that they could easily understand the thing and they can make a decision earlier about the project. So, we can say that in the corporate sector computer technology has added a new face to go ahead.

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Education Sector
Education is the backbone of a nation so it is one of the most important sectors for a country. As a developing country Bangladesh has recently introduced computer technology in the education sector. But within a very few days in the urban areas the technology has became very popular in the education sector. The kids are now memorizing lots of poems and stories by the computer. They are taught from the very route level about manners for example: how to talk, how to play, how to behave etc. Children love to see cartoons in the computer by which they can easily learn English language which is very important. Now our S.S.C and H.S.C examination copies are checked by computer software which is a revolutionary step in the education sector. As a result it has become possible to give the result within a very short time. Now it is very easy to sort out the percentage of passing students for every division. In the higher studies it is just impossible to think about education without computer technology. Teachers provide their lectures by the multimedia in the universities. Sometimes the class can be cancelled for some unavoidable circumstances, then the faculties post the notice in the website of the university, or they can provide the notice by email. Students have different presentations and then the computer software is needed.

Medical Sector
As a developing country Bangladesh is just improving in medical science. In this sector computer technology has added new face so that there is a very rapid improvement.

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Now all kinds of blood tests, X-ray reports are made by computer technology. As a result the chance of mistake has been reduced and people get their reports soon. So that, people can easily starts their treatment according to the diseases. Computer technology is helping to provide treatment for different types of dangerous diseases. Doctors are able to create new medicines and the computer technology is helping to increase the face of the pharmacy sector of Bangladesh also.

Transportation Sector
The improvement in computer technology has brought a drastic change in the transportation sector. Now traffic control has become easier. Sometimes there is no need of the traffic police. Only the automatic traffic signals are there. Consequently now there are traffic cameras which can detect any types of problem in the road and these cameras can be executed without any person. Main thing is that still now this system has not yet developed that much. But the research are going ahead to improve this system. On the other hand the plane navigation, ship navigation has become easier. Computer technology has facilitate a country like Bangladesh to improve their transportation system in such a way so that we can expect that we are going to be one of the most improved countries in the transportation sector in near future.

Research & Development

Research and Development is one of the most important part of any country because by this a country can invent new technologies, new ways to do the things. In Bangladesh research and development sector has improved a lot because of computer technology. In the education sector the methods of studies are invented. In the medical sector new medicines and new methods of treatment are invented. The transportation system is also

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getting improved by the computer technology. It is getting possible because new research and development are taking place by modern computer technology.

Mobile Technology
At present mobile is the most popular instrument which we use in our daily life. We can not think about one day without mobile phone. The mobile technology is also getting improved by computer technology. In Bangladesh mobile technology has improved a lot in a very short period of time. One of the biggest telecom company Grameen Phone has started an Information Center where you can get each and every types of information by mobile phone. On the other hand they have a virtual market called cell bazaar where people can get idea about a product and they can buy or sell a product by cell bazaar as well. Consequently by mobile technology people now can consultant with a doctor about any types of diseases within a very short period of time. In some telecom company there are several numbers where a general person can call and consult with a specialist doctor about his/her physical problem. So we can say that computer technology is one of the main things which are assisting the mobile technology to go ahead.

MISUSE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

Waste of time & Skill
People are wasting their time by using computer technology, for example now there are many things like Face book, Orcut etc. By these website people used to create a good bonding with old friends and new ones as well. But if a person is spending his/her whole day in Face book or these kinds of thing then that would be a misuse of computer technology. Particularly students are spending their precious time by these things which

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are really a bad impact of computer technology. On the other hand, the level of skill of the people is going down because which task can be done by the people by their own, people use technology there. So that the thinking ability is hampering and the working ability is destroying.

Health Problem
Computer Technology is now used in our daily life. For example: Corporate life, Education life etc. So we have to spend a lot of time with computers by seating in same place which is very bad for health. These are the main reason for back pain. On the other hand when a person is using computer then a kind of light is affecting his/her eyes which is really bad for eyes. Now children are also using glasses from a very small age one of the main reason of that problem is computer technology. Children play the computer games for a long time. As a result they look at the computer which basically hampers their eyesight. The children are now much more interested for playing the computer games. As a result they do not go out and day by day the field games are ruining. They are getting deprived from the exercise as a result their body movement is reduced.

Increase Plagiarism
The plagiarism has increased due to the computer technology because it is very easy to cut copy and paste anything. In the universities faculties provide different case studies and projects so that students could relate their studies with the real life examples but sometimes students just cut copy and paste from the old projects. As a result their learning is being incomplete. Moreover one of the most popular words in the computer world is Hacking. By hacking the corporate server people come to know about the secrets of the company which is a dangerous situation for any type of company. On the other hand the educational server is also getting hacked, so that the question paper leak out has occurred for several times even it is a normal situation for Bangladesh. Consequently the bank server can also be hacked by which people come to know about the information about the personal account, credit card etc. By hacking the bank server hackers can easily transfer money from different account from any part of the world. In the media sector the Business Communication - 12 -

movies are getting hacked and sell at low price so that after releasing the movie that can not earn their expected revenue.

CONCLUSION
Like others countries in the world, computer technology is vastly used in every sector of Bangladesh. We should use computers for the well being of our society and mankind and not for destructive purposes. The government of Bangladesh has recognized IT as one of the thrust sectors and is eager to provide all possible supports for the development of this sector. Due to withdrawal of taxes from computer, prices of computer and computer related items dropped drastically and became affordable to general communities. A tremendous progress is going on in the e-commerce, e-governance, computer networking, Internet, web browsing, web applications, multimedia product development etc. Our country can take advantage of its immense manpower for the betterment of this sector. Despite some difficulties, it is expected that computer applications in Bangladesh would not only spread to various private and public sector organizations, but also would emerge as a regional hub for software development.

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RECOMMENDATION
Currently there is no copyright protection law for software industry in Bangladesh, which deters foreign firms to outsource software from Bangladesh. Without intellectual property rights, we cannot expect massive growth in this sector. So the government should enact and implement the copyright protection act to ban the use of all pirated software in both public and private organizations. People should use computer technology for the betterment of mankind and society. Students should utilize the benefit of internet for learning and gaining knowledge and not for plagiarism purpose. The parents and teacher should be aware of the fact that the children must not use most of their valuable times in internet relay chatting or playing games on computers. The government and private sector can arrange more frequent computer oriented fair, debate competition, programming contest etc. all over the country to aware people about the state of the art technologies of IT sector. They can organize road shows to introduce computers in the rural part of the country. The IT and computer fair in not only aware the current customer base, but it is also helpful for computer related business firms to capture the potential target buyers. A significant number of citizens live in the rural part of the country. Without them the proper development of the countrys economic growth is not possible. Almost all the IT related developments which have taken place during the last few years are concentrated only in the capital city. Our rural part of the country is extremely deprived of the computer and information technology. The government, non government or the donor agencies can extend their support to provide proper infrastructure and facilities in the Business Communication - 14 -

rural areas. They can arrange free computer learning course to the literate youth group. Also they can set up community information center like the Grameen phone to introduce computer and internet technology in the financially constrained part of the country. It has been revealed that almost 90% of the computer related marketplaces are Dhaka oriented and people resides outside Dhaka has to come to here for buying computer related accessories. So there has to be some policy on the decentralization of these PCs to regions outside of Dhaka. Another thing is that in Dhaka there are only two computer related shopping centers IDB Bhaban and Elephant road. So the private sector should come forward to establish more shops in different areas of Dhaka as well as Bangladesh to reduce the hassle of general people. Although the government has exempted all duties and taxes from hardware and software related accessories, still price per pc is not affordable to most of the general communities. So the government can create middle to long term special funds for giving interest-free loans to professionals and students. There are very few standard institutes who are giving high quality IT education in Bangladesh. But most of their costs are so high that they are barely within the reach of general people. Many private organizations have opened independent institutes which are running with lack of proper syllabus and lack of acceptable technical qualities. Another thing is that still many graduates lack computer literacy and the course curricula for computer related subjects do not reflect market needs. So the authority should Introduce 'Basic computer skills' as a compulsory subject for all students starting from the primary to the graduation level. Due to the failure of the government, Bangladesh could not able to obtain a link to the sub-marine cable. The results are low band width and slow internet speed. To solve this acute problem the government should formulate proper policies to improve the proper functioning of the countrys communication sector.

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Experience of other countries shows, that it is very difficult to achieve success in exporting software unless there is a large domestic market. So the government can computerize all its ministries and departments using our own developed software as a part of the Digital Bangladesh program. Many countries of the world are not aware of the Bangladeshi software industry because there is no fund allocated for the promotion of our IT sector to the overseas market. As a result, Bangladesh is losing a significant number of potential buyers and foreign currency in the IT sector. The government can create a Market Promotion Fund to meet the expenses of promoting Bangladesh as a potential source of software and data Processing zone.

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SOURCES
1. http://www.webopedia.com/DidYouKnow/Hardware_Software/2002/FiveGenerat ions.asp 2. http://download.intel.com/pressroom/kits/IntelProcessorHistory.pdf 3. http://www.bdix.net/sdnbd_org/world_env_day/2002/current_issues/IT.htm 4. www.grameenphone.com 5. www.citycell.com 6. www.aktel.com 7. www.banglalionwimax.com 8. www.qubee.com.bd 9. http://www.digitalbangladesh.gov.bd/blog.php? ID=131&PHPSESSID=b45b0e773ef14f2ea4328ceeedc1e451 10. www.cfsr-uk.com/ITReview.pdf 11. http://www.bdix.net/sdnbd_org/world_env_day/2001/sdnpweb/issues/ITcomputer/article/itreview-sdnp.htm 12. http://www.bdix.net/sdnbd_org/world_env_day/2002/current_issues/IT.htm 13. www.nbr-bd.org

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