Bangladesh to get 3 million new fixed phone lines

[fab]

Bangladesh to get 3 million new fixed lines

11/05/04 06:45 - by Tim Marshall

Two weeks after news that Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) will go-ahead with its stalled mobile network rollout, former real estate concern and industrial conglomerate Bashundhara Group has announced that it will spend US$200 million building fixed telephone connections across the country.

Granted permission for the rollout last week, Bashundhara is the first private entity to gain a telecommunications license in Bangladesh. The move comes under government plans to improve connection in a nation with less than one fixed phone line for every 100 people. "The BTRC has decided in principle to award the PSTN licence to Bashundhara Communications Network Limited in four zones as it qualifies," Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) chairman Syed Marghub Murshed said.

According to Reuters via the Hindustan Times yesterday, Bashundhara has set aside $200 million for the rollout of three million fixed lines. Funds will be sourced internally and from a syndicated bank loan with services expected from May 2005. Lucent Technologies, Motorola, Nortel Networks and Ericsson have been short listed as equipment suppliers.

Telecoms has been a slow starter in Bangladesh although government officials have begun to push for further development. Prime Minister Khaleda Zia last month gave final approval for controversial mobile network supply deals allowing BTTB to begin its mobile rollout with Huawei and Siemens. The government is also considering the allocation of further fixed licenses with seven companies accepted into the running.

Source

Cool.

[Arnab]

Interesting.

The rest of the world is moving towards wireless telephony. It's cheaper, less maintenance problems with no cables.

[sage]

They need to increase T1 connectivity. Broadband is the way for future.

[fab]

What do you mean by 'Wireless Telephony'? Voice over WiFi or mobile telephony?

[Arnab]

wireless telephony = mobile telephony, long or short distance, a la citicell, grameenphone, etc.

Voice over Wifi = cable-based internet telephony, mainly long distance with wireless end users, not truly wireless telephony.

[Nasif]

Landbased network can serve as backbone for number of improvements in telecom and internet. As they are doing it with present technology, they can create much better telecom network than some other old systems in many developed countires (like US).

Lets hope they do it well and not just fill up their pocket.

[reverse_swing]

I agree with Nasif. We have to develop our land phone infrastructure first not only for internet but for our wireles/mobile systems also! In BD we already have 2.5 million mobile phone subscribers. Before coming to UK I was in Grameenphone. During that time I saw many rural areas where they don't have electricity/gas facility but they have mobile phones! GP used generators for their base stations in those areas. And in wireless technology you have to interconnect basestations. Currently GP guys are using Bangladesh Railway's optical fibre line. But there are some areas where GP has to depend on microwave links. Unfortunately BTTB yet to have that facility. They have a plan to use fibre optics for their main transmission lines but it will take atleast 5 years. So if we have proper landbased technology with optical fibre facilities then it will be easier for mobile companies to extend their services. In that case they don't have to depend on microwave transmission link(currently all the mobile operators are using this except GP) which is not at all reliable & also has bandwidth problem.

North Americans use wireless term on the other hand rest of the world use mobile instead of wireless. Both are same. But I think wireless is more appropriate.



[Edited on 16-5-2004 by reverse_swing]

[sage]

It is very important to realize that telephone line is not only for voice transmission any more. Telephone backbone is getting used to transmit high bandwidth data like video stream, even TV signals. So BD need to keep up with that kind of high bandwidth transmition, otherwise they have to spend another 200 million within 10 year.

[reverse_swing]

spot on Sage!