Remarks

Signing of Purchase Agreement of US-Made Telecom Equipment

DNS Satcomm, Ltd.
March 8, 2005

As-salaamu alaikum, namaskar, shubhodin, good afternoon. It is a pleasure to be here to help both the United States and Bangladesh mark the occasion of the purchase of US-made telecom equipment by DNS Satellite, a company based in Bangladesh. The United States makes some of the best telecommunications equipment in the world. And Bangladesh’s telecommunications market is poised to grow at an extraordinary rate over the next several years. This makes the pairing of our two industries a natural partnership.
 
In my discussions with telecom service and hardware providers in Bangladesh like DNS SatComm, the sense of optimism is clear. Businesses see a wireless market ready to explode, a demand for high-speed Internet and access to Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol [VOIP], and they see a fiber optic cable from Singapore landing in Cox’s Bazaar for the purpose of connecting Bangladesh’s telecommunications directly to the rest of the region.
 
These are all positive signs of Bangladesh’s developing telecommunications sector. However, as you are all too aware, many obstacles remain. The actual connection of the fiber optic cable between Cox’s Bazaar and Chittagong, the arrival of inter-connectivity between mobile and land lines, and the nature of Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board’s entrance into the cell phone market are all open questions.
 
I encourage you, as the leaders of Bangladesh’s economy, to talk about the importance of these issues for national development and to encourage business and government leaders, at all levels, to provide you with the infrastructure, rule of law, free markets, and independent judicial system you need in order to run your companies effectively and to attract foreign direct investment. It is ordinary Bangladeshis that must invest in this nation’s future if its success is to be secured.
 
In light of this, I wish our host, and all of you, every success in your ventures and offer the partnership of the United States in securing the potential of Bangladesh and its place in the global telecommunications market.

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Note:  A Bangla translation of this article is also available from the American Center.  If you are interested in the translation, please call the American Center Press Section (Tel: 8813440-4, Fax: 9881677; e-mail: DhakaPA@state.gov; Website:  dhaka.usembassy.gov).