Friends on FaceBook / På FaceBook med en fyr fra markedet

DANSK VERSION NEDENUNDER.

This is my newest FaceBook frien, Raton Murmud in his shop in Sarasatipur. He is a close relative of the cook in the guest house. Internet is becoming quite common here. It is accessed by mobile conection, in many cases provided by Telenor’s sister company in Bangladesh called Grameenphone.

Bangladesh has a very proactive telecom and internet policy, and mobile coverage is just as good or even better then in Denmark. Already in 1993 the Act that promotes Telecom and internet was passed in parliament. Today you see the results of this important act. As you travel through the country you see mobile transmitter antennas on many chimneys and other high structures.
But most important is that the charge for mobile connection is reasonably priced. A large part of the population can afford it.  It will still take a little while before most people have access to internet, but the mobile phones are there and has revolutionized the society. Imagine walking 20 km carrying 20 kg of tomatoes to the marked, only to find out that everyone brought tomatoes and you can’t sell yours. With the mobile phone you can call your friend in town, who can tell you to bring fish instead.

Here at Saraswatipur Boarding School the mobile phones are also frequently used. Not so many people send SMS as in Denmark, but teachers often call each other just to say “come over here for a moment”. In the place of SMS the mobile is used as walky-talky.

Everyone knows about the internet here at SBS, but all want to learn more. I have promised to do some training on computers and internet as well as the Cooperative Learning.

Dette er min nyeste FaceBook ven, Raton Murmud i hans butik i Sarasatipur (se butikken øverst i den engelske tekst). Han er en nær slægtning af kokken i gæstehuset. Internettet er ved at blive ret almindelige her. Det er adgang via mobiltelefonnettet, i mange tilfælde leveret af Telenors søsterselskab i Bangladesh der heder GrameenPhone.

 Bangladesh har en meget proaktiv telepolitik og internet, og mobildækningen er lige så god eller endda bedre end i Danmark. Allerede i 1993 blev loven, der fremmer Telecom og internet vedtaget i parlamentet. I dag kan man se resultaterne af denne vigtige handling. Når man rejser gennem  landet, ser man mobile sendemaster på mange skorstene og andre høje bygninger.
Men vigtigst er, at telefoni og internet er rimelighed prissat, så en stor del af befolkningen har råd til det. Det vil stadig tage lidt tid, før de fleste mennesker har adgang til internettet, men mobiltelefonen er der, og har revolutioneret samfundet. Forestil dig at gå 20 km bærende 20 kg tomater til markedet, kun for at finde ud af, at alle kom med tomater, og at du ikke kan sælge dine. Med mobiltelefonen, kan du ringe til din ven i byen, som kan fortælle dig at du skal tage fisk med i stedet.

 Her på Saraswatipur Kostskole er mobiltelefoner også hyppigt brugt. Ikke så mange sender SMS, som i Danmark, men lærerne ringer ofte til hinanden bare for at sige "kom her over for et øjeblik". I stedet for SMS bruges mobilen som Walky-talky.

 Alle kender til internettet her på SBS, men alle ønsker at lære mere. Jeg har lovet at lave nogle kurser i computere og internet sammen med Cooperative Learning.