BTRC marks Universal Acceptance Day 2025 with the official launch of its .bangla domain, championing digital inclusion and multilingual internet in Bangladesh.
 |
| BTRC launches its .bangla domain on Universal Acceptance Day 2025, advancing language diversity online and strengthening Bangladesh's digital infrastructure. Image: BTRC |
DHAKA, Bangladesh — April 16, 2025:
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) celebrated Universal Acceptance Day 2025 with a major milestone—the launch of its official website and email service under the ".bangla" top-level domain. The event underscored Bangladesh’s growing commitment to digital inclusivity and linguistic diversity.
Organized in partnership with the Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF) and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the celebration featured a technical workshop and a high-level conference at BTRC headquarters. Participants from government bodies, private tech sectors, academia, and civil society joined the conversation on building a multilingual internet ecosystem.
BTRC Director General (Engineering and Operations), Brig Gen Shafiul Azam Parvez, opened the event by stressing the significance of Universal Acceptance in creating an inclusive digital landscape. BIGF Secretary General Mohammad Abdul Haque Anu echoed this, advocating for stronger collaboration to increase the use of ".bangla" domains and support broader language representation online.
Keynote speaker Dr. Mohammad Mamunur Rashid, Associate Professor at Jahangirnagar University, presented compelling insights. He noted that while English dominates nearly 50% of internet content, only 16% of the world speaks it natively. He emphasized the need for local content, AI tools, and digital platforms in Bangla to close the global language gap.
BTRC Deputy Director Dr. Shamsujoha highlighted future opportunities in Universal Acceptance, citing the scheduled rollout of new top-level domains in 2026. He encouraged public-private cooperation to boost digital infrastructure aligned with linguistic needs.
In virtual participation, Sameeran Gupta, ICANN’s Asia-Pacific VP, reaffirmed the organization’s technical support for multilingual domains, while ICANN Board Director Sajid Rahman stressed that the internet must bridge—not widen—linguistic divides.
Experts Mustafa Al Mamun (BTCL) and Mahfuzur Rahman (Amber IT) addressed technical hurdles, pointing to ongoing software and infrastructure advancements necessary to support diverse scripts and domain usage.
BTRC Chairman Major Gen (Retd) Md. Emdad-ul-Bari concluded by emphasizing the power of one’s mother tongue in communication and identity. He called for increased access to digital tools in Bangla, hailing the launch of the ".bangla" domain as a pivotal step in narrowing the digital divide and strengthening national digital sovereignty.
The Universal Acceptance Day 2025 celebration marks a transformative moment for Bangladesh’s internet landscape—embracing diversity, innovation, and inclusive digital growth.