As the UN specialized agency for ICTs, ITU (International Telecommunication Union) is the official source for global ICT statistics. The ICT Data and Statistics (IDS) Division is a part of ITU’s project support and knowledge management department within the Telecommunication Development Bureau (BDT). One of the core activities of the division is the collection, verification and harmonization of telecommunication or ICT statistics for about 200 economies worldwide. The two key sets of telecommunication or ICT data that ITU collects directly from countries are : o1. Telecommunication/ ICT data collected from national telecommunication/ICT ministries and regulatory authorities: these include data on the fixed-telephone network, mobile-cellular services, Internet/broadband, traffic, revenues and investment; and prices of ICT services, and 02. Household ICT data collected from national statistical offices (NSOs): these include data on household access to ICTs and individual use of ICTs. Other key activities of the Division include : dissemination of data included in the World Telecommunication/ICT indicators database, through the web site, printed publications, CD-ROM, and by electronic download; analysis of telecommunication/ICT trends and the production of regional and global research reports; benchmarking ICT developments; contributing to the monitoring of internationally agreed goals and targets ; developing international standards and methodologies on ICT statistics through close cooperation with other regional and international organizations and bodies, and the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development; organizing meetings and events, including the World Telecommunication/ ICT Indicators Symposium and providing capacity building and technical assistance to member states in the area of ICT measurement and through the provision of training material and manuals

Household Internet connection in Bangladesh
According to a recently published report of ITU, only 6.5 per cent households in Bangladesh are connected with the internet and the country is yet at the bottom of the table in South Asia. Although South Asian countries , expect Nepal, are ahead of Bangladesh in number of households connected with the internet. Bangladesh has placed it in the 101st position among 133 countries and Nepal secured the 109th position with 5.6 per cent of its households using the internet. However , analysts raised questions on the findings of the report . As Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) does not have the authentic information on internet use actually, that made the ITU report questionable, opined Abu Saeed Khan, a senior policy fellow at LIRNAsia, a Colombo-based think tank.
As of August last, according to BTRC statistics Bangladesh has 5.22 crore active Internet Connections; although ITU report says only 9.6 per cent individuals use he internet. Of the South Asian countries Maldives is on the top position with 44.5 per cent households using the internet, while Bhutan connected their 26.3 per cent households, and has achieved 60th position globally. India and Sri Lanka both connected 15.3 per cent of their households, while Pakistan connected 13 per cent households of it. These three countries ranked 80, 81 and 83rd position respectively. Iceland has positioned itself on the top of the table with 98.2 per cent people connected with the internet, while 98.5 percent households are connected in South Korea, as of December, 2014.
Mobile broadband internet use in Bangladesh
But in case of mobile internet use Bangladesh goes ahead of India and Pakistan. In Bangladesh 6.4 per cent people are active mobile broadband subscribers. According to this statistics Bangladesh stands at the 149th position as a mobile broadband user country among 189 countries, while Pakistan and India get the 156th and 155th position respectively. This was disclosed on 21 September in New York at the 11th meeting of UN Broadband Commission for the Digital Development. The report on world broadband situation in 2015 further discloses that according to Broadband Commission Report in January, 2014 incase of wired internet use percentage wise Bangladesh Index was 136, while this year it becomes 132.

ICT facts and figures 2015
In the middle of this year new ICT facts and figures for the year 2015 released by ITU indicate that over the past 15 years, information and communication technologies (ICTs) have grown in an unprecedented way, providing huge opportunities for social and economic development. Statistics confirm a positive ICT revolution of the past 15 years during 2000-2015. These new figures track ICT progress and show gaps in connectivity since the year 2000, when world leaders established the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The ICT Facts and Figures by ITU under discussion of the world in 2015 features end-2015 estimates for key telecommunication/ICT indicators, including on mobile-cellular subscriptions, Internet use, fixed and mobile broadband services, home ICT access, and more. 2015 is the deadline for achievements of the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which global leaders agreed upon in the year 2000, and the new data show ICT progress and highlight remaining gaps.
Today, there are more than 7 billion mobile subscriptions worldwide, up from 738 million in 2000. Globally, 3.2 billion people are using the Internet, of which two billion live in developing countries.

MDGs 2000-2015: ICT revolution and remaining gaps
These facts and figures was released by ITU in Geneva in the last week of May last at a press conference. At this press conference ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao said, “These new figures not only show the rapid technological progress made to date, but also help us identify those being left behind in the fast-evolving digital economy, as well as the areas where ICT investment is needed most.”
On the other hand Brahima Sanou, the Director of the ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau said, “ICT will play an even more significant role in the post-2015 era and in achieving future sustainable development goals as the world moves faster and faster towards a digital society. Our mission is to connect everyone and to create a truly inclusive information society, for which we need comparable and high-quality data and statistics to measure progress.”

Internet penetration increased 7-fold in 15 years
According to the ITU statistics between 2000 and 2015, Internet penetration has increased almost seven-fold from 6.5 to 43 per cent of the global population. The proportion of households with Internet access at home advanced from 18 per cent in 2005 to 46 per cent in 2015. These figures also indicate that four billion people in the developing world remain offline. Off the nearly one billion people living in the Least Developing Countries (LDCs), 851 million do not use the Internet.

3G mobile-broadband coverage rapidly extending
In the last 15 years mobile broadband was the most dynamic market segment, with mobile-broadband penetration globally reaching 47 per cent in 2015, a value that increased 12-fold since 2007. According to ITU facts and figures, in 2015, 69 per cent of the global population will be covered by 3G mobile broadband, up from 45 per cent in 2011.
There is also a rapid extension of 3G mobile broadband into rural areas, and ITU estimates that 29 per cent of the 3.4 billion people worldwide living in rural areas will be covered by 3G mobile broadband by the end of 2015. Among the four billion people living in urban areas, 89 per cent will have access to 3G mobile broadband.

Fixed-broadband uptake growing slowly
Fixed-broadband uptake is growing at a slower pace with a seven per cent annual increase over the past three years. While the prices of fixed-broadband services dropped sharply between 2008 and 2011 in developing countries, they have been stagnating since then and even increased slightly in LDCs.

Broadband now affordable
The figures indicate that broadband is now affordable in 111 countries, with the cost of a basic (fixed or mobile) broadband plan corresponding to less than five per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, thus meeting the target set by the Broadband Commission for Digital Development. The global average cost of a basic fixed-broadband plan, as measured in PPP$ (or purchasing power parity $), is 1.7 times higher than the average cost of a comparable mobile-broadband plan.

ITU statistics widely recognized
ITU statistics are widely recognized as the world’s most reliable and impartial global data on the state of the global ICT industry. They are used extensively by leading intergovernmental agencies, financial institutions and private sector analysts worldwide