Mobile phone ownership in Bangladesh is widespread, with 73 million subscriptions for a population of 142 million. Most people have basic feature phones rather than smartphones. Six focus groups discussed mobile phone use among adolescents in urban and rural Bangladesh. General patterns included playing games, wanting sexual and reproductive health information via phone, and difficulties of gender roles. Suggested mobile tools included an application to facilitate the work of peer educators, a tool to advocate for girls' freedom, and providing puberty information to boys.

1. emer@butterflyworks.org
Dhaka, May, 2012

2. State of Mobile in Bangladesh

3. Taken at FPAB center, Mymensingh

4. How many mobiles?
Total mobile Subscription rate
adjusted for Dual Sim Card - 73 million
Mobile internet users 8 million
Total Population 142 million,
(under 14’s is approx 33% of this)
from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission

5. What type of phone (handset) do people
have?
Basic Phone (black & white) – 20%
Feature Phone (below TK 5000) - 69%
Smart Phone – 11%
…..Symphony, Nokia, Maximus most popular

6. Some of the Phones of FPAB group

7. 6 Mobile Operators in Bangladesh
Grameen Phone – 35%*
BanglaLink – 21%
Aertel – 19%
Robi – 15%
CityTalk – 5%
Teletalk – 5 % (Govt owned)
*approximate numbers
To get a shortcode working,…..u need all operators

8. Showing rapid growth of mobile

9. Initial findings from Rapid needs
assesment,
mobile usage, young people’s groups,
Dhaka & Mymensingh
May 30th, 31st 2012

10. 6 groups in Dhaka and Mymensingh.
1. Golartek City Colony, Mirpur-1 (HASAB), 25 Girls, Age 14
to 24
2. BRAC Secondary School, Mymensing Boys, Age 13 to 17
years, Grade 10
3. FPAB- peer leaders group, Kachrighat, Mymensing
4. BRAC Adolescent Club, Diglapara, Mymensing, 28 Girls,
13 to 19 years old
5. BNPS Women group, Bhuiyapara, Khilgaon, Dhaka 14
women and girls in the age from 14 to 40
6. Secondary School, Rajarbag, Police line, Dhaka
(BNPS) 36 Girls, all 13 years old

11. General Usage patterns, across all 6 groups
Phones
• Most of the girls, boys and women that we spoke to have
or prefer to have feature phone.
• A feature phone with English alphabet is preferred to
having a black and white screen phone with Bangla
alphabet.
• Most have Nokia, Samsung, Symphony, Maximus.

12. General Usage patterns across all 6 groups
Games
• Almost all play games on their phones. They use the
games on their mobile sets or buy memory cards which
they fill up with games, music and music videos in the local
shop.
• They play games during leisure time or at night when the
electricity goes down.
• A lot of the girls that we spoke to love to have music
videos on their phones.

13. General Usage patterns
SRHR Information on phones
• All girls, boys and women indicated that they would like
they have access to SRHR information via mobile phone.
• They would all prefer to be able to speak to a counselor
instead of getting information through sms.

14. Difficulties of being a girl/boy
• Lack of freedom, early marriage, sexual harassment,
dowry system, physical changes, having to work at a young
age.
Role model
• Girls: Begum Sufia Kamal, Mother Theresa, Own mother.
• Boys: Kazi Nazrul, the teacher, parents, grand father, big
brother, Islam.

15. Golartek City Colony, Mirpur-1 (HASAB)

16. Golartek City Colony, Mirpur-1 (HASAB)
25 Girls, Age 14 to 24
• 3 where still in school, 3 didn’t go to school, 11 finished Grade
5, 1 finished Grade 10.
• 16 Girls have small children
• They think it’s ok to get a phone from the age of 14 years
• They send text messages in Bangla with English Alphabet
• They all say about being a girl that they would like more
freedom and be equal to boys

17. BRAC Secondary School, Mymensing

18. BRAC Secondary School, Mymensing
Boys, Age 13 to 17 years, Grade 10
• 3 boys share phone, 12 have own phone, 8 have internet
• Computer shop for games is 2 km away
• Majority knows of no helplines, a few know: 789 (3), BBC Janala
(1), Robi (1)
• The information they get per sms: is reminder for the polio
vaccine (2), government info (2),
• Interested to have information about bodily changes during
puberty
• They also like more freedom and would like to stop early
marriage.

19. FPAB- peer educators group, Kachrighat, Mymensing

20. FPAB- peer educators group, Kachrighat, Mymensing
Girls 12 / Boys 18, Age from 15 to 23
• Most of them have a feature phone.
• 4 share phone with family (girls under 18), 11 have own
phone.
• Half the group know helplines, but don’t say which one, 1 says
789, 1 says FPAB has a helpline
• 6 have access to internet
• The information they get per sms: 6 says yes, for example sms
about Safe mothers day,

21. BRAC Adolescent Club, Diglapara, Mymensing
28 Girls, 13 to 19 years old

22. BRAC Adolescent Club, Diglapara, Mymensing
28 Girls, 13 to 19 years old
• 23 share family phone, 5 have own phone
They have to explain parents first before making a call
• they expect to have an own phone at 17 – 19 years old
(they will buy it themselves)
• Majority knows 2 helpline: Health emergency line and Social
Helpline which a regional counselor.
3 Concepts:
22 prefer game
6 prefer the magazine (the older girls)

23. Womens group, Bhuiyapara, Khilgaon, Dhaka (BNPS)

24. Womens group, Bhuiyapara, Khilgaon, Dhaka (BNPS)
14 women and girls in the age from 14 to 40
• They have own phone.
3 only receive calls, 8 use it to call supplier at the market.
• Their children play games on the phone, after lunch or at
night.
• 1 has access to internet
• They would share SRHR information with their children.
• If the phone had Bangla alphabet (feature phone) they’d use it
more.

25. Secondary School, Rajarbag, Police line, Dhaka (BNPS)

26. Secondary School, Rajarbag, Police line, Dhaka (BNPS)
36 Girls, all 13 years old
• All share family phone.
• They expect to get an own phone at the age of 18.
Not earlier as the parents would be afraid of misuse
pornography, sexual harassment, stalking by phone.
• If there would be game about Eve teasing (sexual harassment)
parents would allow them to play it.
• They get the games on the phone or buy in (computer) shop

27. Group exercise
• FPAB group: Design a mobile tool for them to facilitate their
work. (could be a mixed with other media)
• Girls from Golartek City Colony: create a mobile tool (could be
a mixed with other media) to convince the husband and
family of those girls to give them more freedom.
• BRAC Secondary School, Mymensing: think of a way giving the
boys information about bodily changes during puberty via
mobile phones.