Impacts of Telecentre on Users: the Experience of the Union Digital Centre in Bangladesh

This paper examines a Bangladeshi telecentre initiative, the Union Digital Centre (UDC), in terms of its benefits to users. It uses 'the diffusion of innovation theory' as an analytical framework and draws on data collected from a survey of 154 users and 41 interviews with management stakeholders. The study shows that the UDC has generally succeeded in providing users with easy and convenient access to information and services. The UDC has relative advantages over alternative service delivery arrangements, and that it has produced positive impacts on bridging the digital divide in the Bangladesh society. Notwithstanding, the overall impact has remained modest as the range of services currently available is quite limited; given its present handicaps the UDC is yet to have significant impacts on broader developmental goals and objectives.