The government has approved a Tk 1,059.10 crore project to develop an optical fiber transmission network for building 5G infrastructure across the country.
The approval came from the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting with ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair on Tuesday.
The Premier joined the meeting virtually from her official Ganobhaban residence while Ministers, State Ministers, Planning Commission members and secretaries concerned attended the meeting from the NEC Conference Room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, the Planning Minister MA Mannan said a total of 10 projects were approved involving an overall estimated cost of Tk 8,804.10 crore including building 5G infrastructure project. The planning minister said that the main objective of the optical fiber network up-gradation project is to spread uninterrupted state-of-the-art telecommunications network and modern broadband internet facilities across the country.
Besides, the optical fiber transmission network of the BTCL will also be developed and expanded to meet the growing demand.
The BTCL under the Post and Telecommunication Division will implement the project by December 2024. The project aims to raise the data transmission speed to 100 gigabits per second (Gbps) at upazila levels.
The superfast mobile service can deliver a peak data rate of up to 20 Gbps and can connect virtually everyone and everything, including machines, objects, and devices.
The project will improve and expand BTCL's optical fiber transmission network to provide uninterrupted telecommunication and modern broadband internet facilities.
The fund of the project will be used to procure and install telecommunication and electrical equipment and establish 146 underground optical fiber cable links with a combined length of 3,144 kilometres.
The planning minister said that the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the meeting asked the authorities concerned to expand the 5G network in the country and also to strengthen the 4G network.
“The premier also stressed the need for expediting the work for launching the 2nd Bangabandhu Satellite in the orbit,” he said.
The main activities of the project are: Setting up of 146 underground links across the country for purchase and installation of telecommunication or electrical equipment, conversion of the backup ring network. Several vehicles would also be purchased under the project.
The 8th Five-Year Plan includes digital transformation, the 4th Industrial Revolution, the future of network and 5G, increasing the infrastructural performance capabilities of domestic and international networks, harnessing the potential of space technology, digital security, reducing digital disparities, digital research and digital skills change have been imported under the project.
The Planning Commission said that if the project is implemented, it will be possible to develop and expand BTCL's Optical Fiber Transmission Network to provide uninterrupted state-of-the-art telecommunication and modern broadband internet facilities across the country and to meet the growing demand.
