Dhaka, Aug. 15 -- Around 7 crore people will be brought under mobile data network coverage within the next six to 12 months, said Rehan Asif Asad, adviser to the prime minister on posts and telecommunications.

He said nearly 50 percent of mobile phone users in Bangladesh still use 2G or feature phones, making it impossible to shift all of them to smartphones overnight.

"Of the around 14 crore mobile phone users in the country, nearly half still use 2G phones. We cannot bring these 7 crore people onto smartphones overnight. But we can bring them under data networks within the next six to 12 months," he said.

The adviser was speaking at a roundtable titled "Spectrum for a Connected Bangladesh: Enabling Internet for All" held at the Holid...