Bangladesh unveils an £83 laptop

THE PRIME MINISTER of Bangladesh has revealed a laptop costing £83.

According to the BBC, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina launched the computer, named Doel, at a ceremony in the capital Dhaka on Tuesday. It is the first laptop made in the country.

Four models of the laptop will be produced by state-owned telecoms company Telephone Shilpa Sangstha (TSS), with the most basic priced at £83 ($130). It will initially be distributed to government departments and later to the public and students.

Bangladesh is producing 10 per cent of the components for the laptop and the rest are imported, but within six months the country will be able to produce 60 per cent of the components.

The government has launched Digital Bangladesh, a plan with the aim of digitally connecting the country by 2021.

Last month, we reported that nearby India is preparing to unveil a $35 tablet device developed by British outfit Datawind. The subsidised device will be sold to students in a bid to increase India's take-up of technologies such as the internet. µ