Bangladesh has been one of the fastest-growing APNIC economies in recent years, notes Paul Wilson, Director General of the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC).

“There is high sustained industry growth in terms of APNIC membership, but also consolidation, as evidenced by the number of membership mergers; these are natural signs of the maturity of the internet industry in Bangladesh,” Paul Wilson recently told the Daily Sun in an interview.

Prior to joining APNIC, Paul had ten years of technical and business experience in the Internet industry, including consulting on various Internet projects for the United Nations and other international organisations.

Paul said Bangladesh has over 1,900 ASNs allocated and a very respectable level of interconnection—substantially more than Vietnam, for example, but less than Indonesia.

“This is a great sign for the maturity and reliability of the Internet and for the future of the national Internet. In terms of IP addresses, Bangladesh has only about 2 million IPv4 addresses allocated by APNIC in about 2,270 separate delegations, but more than 50 million IPv6 addresses (48) in 1,600 delegations,” he said.

IPv6 capacity is still less than 20 percent, but this is growing rapidly. Three major providers have implemented IPv6-Grameenphone and are leading with a capacity of 52 percent.

“There is still more work to do, and I can only encourage stakeholders in Bangladesh to take action now in preparing for IPv6 and deploying it as soon as possible. This will improve network speed and efficiency and reduce the costs of network address translation and IP address purchases, both of which can be avoided by those deploying IPv6,” said Paul.

Regarding the operational Internet community in Bangladesh, Paul Wilson appreciated the large and dynamic platform with many independent network operators.

“A very encouraging level of participation in national community activities such as ISPAB and BDNOG and the regional platforms of SANOG, APRICOT, and APNIC conferences are actively working on internet governance. I am extremely pleased and grateful for the level of participation in APNIC events in recent years,” he said. The strength and commitment of the DB community are also reflected in the presence of a member from Bangladesh on the APNIC Board of Directors. Sumon Sabir is well known in the APNIC community, and we are very grateful for his contributions to the executive committee, according to Paul.

The upcoming APRICOT 2025 and APNIC 59 will take place in Bangladesh next year. Paul Wilson seems optimistic about the upcoming conference to connect the South Asian nation with global communities of internet governance.

“We at APNIC are very much looking forward to finally being back in Bangladesh for an APNIC conference in 2025. Naturally, we have visited Bangladesh very often in recent years, supporting BDNOG, SANOG, and APNIC training events, but a major conference will help immensely in supporting the local internet community and creating international connections,” he said.

The conference will help in professional development, networking, and raising awareness on internet issues that are critical to Bangladesh, Paul expressed optimism.

Paul Wilson further mentioned that the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) has been working for twenty years as a “single venue” to discuss Internet governance issues at regional and global levels. The official said Bangladesh has a strong internet governance community—in fact, one of the strongest and most diverse in the world—and I encourage this to continue.

“Those already involved can do more, both within and outside Bangladesh, to encourage IGF participation and development, and those not yet involved can do so through our numerous national events,” he added. APNIC events are open to all participants, and as a non-profit organisation, we try to minimise participation costs as much as possible.

“We are seeking sponsorship from local and regional partners to help reduce costs, and we are offering remote participation via the internet, completely free of charge. We also offer partially or fully funded scholarships to those who need assistance to travel or attend, and we support fellows to help them get the most out of the events,” he said.

Paul went on to say that the platform always encourages journalists to attend and seek stories and interviews with APNIC representatives and conference participants.

“Media wishing to provide special coverage of APNIC events can contact us to inquire about registration arrangements. There is no special category for journalists, but journalists are welcome and encouraged to apply through the usual fellowship programme,” he said.