Since 1995, the Embassy has advocated elimination of a 60 percent advertising surcharge that the Bangladesh government imposes on foreign products. Local cable TV companies have started operations in Dhaka. Bangladesh now has 12 Internet service providers offering full Internet access via 64 KB VSAT connections. The private sector is also price sensitive. Other than a few essential pharmaceutical products and petroleum products, the government does not have price controls over most consumable items.
Current inflation is about seven percent.
Sales service and customer support are critical, particularly for private sector customers. Marketing products, such as electric generators, capital machinery, and large air conditioning plants requires sound technical support for installation as well as maintenance needs. Agents of U.S. firms dealing with these products should maintain sufficient technical staff and spare parts stock to support their customers. The same holds true for computer hardware and software. Most government agencies, autonomous organizations, and public sector corporations import directly through public tenders, which are publicly announced or issued to registered suppliers.