Bangladesh Makes Internet Free For Young Students

June 17, 2008 11:59 a.m. EST

Dhaka, Bangladesh (AHN) - Bangladesh students will receive Internet access for free or nearly no cost under a government move aimed at spurring an increase in online users.

As part of the effort by the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, students in the country's more than 37,000 primary schools will get free broadband access. Additionally, high school, college, university and madrassas will get 75 percent off the cost of broadband access.

With only three million of the nation's 144 million people online, Bangladesh is near the bottom in terms of Internet adoption. The new government announcement could double that amount within months.

Bangladesh, where more than a third of the people exist on less than a dollar a day has seen its mobile phone adoption skyrocket, climbing to over 42 million from just 1.5 million in 2004.