Prospects of PPP in Expanding ICT Services in Rural Bangladesh: A Case of Union Digital Center

Abstract

ICTs have appeared to be one of the driving factors of modern economic growth with multilayered impacts on different aspects of the economy and society particularly in developing countries. However, due to infrastructural bottlenecks and huge initial investment requirements, although public and private sectors have been working with their respective motives, a vast majority of population in Bangladesh especially in the rural areas still do not have functional access to internet facilities and digital services. On the above backdrop, based on the survey of secondary sources of information, this paper attempts to review the prospects of public private partnership in expanding ICTs and digital services in rural Bangladesh and as to what extent it contributes to reducing digital divide and achieving broader development objectives. Drawing from the experiences of other developing countries and thoroughly taking into account the case of union information and service centers in Union Parishad level in Bangladesh, this paper makes it evident that neither pubic nor private bodies can render the poor and rural people the access to digital services in a segregated manner except without a joint endeavour or partnership for good. It is emphasized that PPP can be a viable option in expanding digital internet services to the poor and marginalized population in rural Bangladesh.