Schools, colleges, madrasas, growth centres and telecom operators in the country’s remote areas will be provided with network connections under an ongoing project.
"Connected Bangladesh" project, officials say, is aimed at addressing a digital divide affecting people in riverine and hilly areas.
Necessity of connectivity and high-speed internet is felt further as the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the education of children and juveniles all over the country.
Undertaken by Bangladesh Computer Council of the ICT Division at a cost of Tk 5.044 billion, the project is being implemented since October 2018 and will run until December 2023.
“This project will eliminate inequality between the mainstream population and those living in 617 riverine, hilly and remote unions,” Project Director Jagadish Chandra Sarker told The Financial Express.
In collaboration with the Bangladesh Army, the project implementing authorities have started installing optical fibre cables in 59 unions in remote areas of three hill districts – Bandarban, Khagrachhari and Rangamati.
Thirteen unions of Sandwip island will soon be brought under broadband connectivity, the project director added.
Bangladesh Cable Shilpa Ltd, Khulna, a state-owned company, has procured 8,106 kilometres of optical fibre cable and 5,000 km of duct pipes to implement the project, according to a progress report.
As of January 2022, authorities reported completion of work of the Pop Room Renovation by 51.28 per cent and that of laying optical fibre cable by 40.22 per cent. A team of 62 people is working on the implementation of this project.
The project is also designed to ensure the promotion of e-commerce, e-services, and telemedicine through high-speed internet usage. Two more major goals of it are to increase employment opportunities and create new entrepreneurs in areas that were once deprived of connectivity.
“The people of those areas will be able to fully enjoy the benefits of the project soon,” Computer Council Executive Director Dr Md Abdul Mannan said.
The project is financed under the “Social Obligation Fund (SOF)” managed by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to expand telecommunication facilities.
Project officials say it will help enhance interoperability, efficiency, transparency, effectiveness and quality of services of the government.