The government injects Tk 22.05 billion from the exchequer into the losing-concern Teletalk to upgrade its struggling network to provide latest telecommunications services.
Its network upgrade under a project approved Tuesday is meant to expand 4G telephony in villages and also deliver 5G services to its subscribers, officials said.
The state telephony, Teletalk Bangladesh Limited, shares less than 3.0 per cent of billions of taka worth of the domestic market while multinationals make the most of the bonanza.
Now the government is investing the money to expand its fourth-generation or 4G network for the customers in the rural areas in a bid to compete with other operators, they said.
With Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved a total of ten projects, including this one, with an estimated combined cost of Tk79.85 billion.
Emerging from the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan told reporters that the project would improve the quality of the existing Teletalk network for providing modern 4G-based services to the rural people at an affordable price besides modernizing the existing transmission network suitable for providing 5G technology.
He said a huge fund of Tk22.04 billion would be invested through this project to further expand the network in the rural areas and also to strengthen the necessary infrastructures to cope with the upcoming 5G-network coverage.
Mr Mannan said Teletalk Bangladesh Limited will implement the project by November 2023.
According to the project proposal, Teletak will construct 3,000 BTS sites, increasing the retention capacity of the existing 2,000 BTS suitable for 3G and 4G networks, modernizing sites by replacing existing 200 mobile BTS, incorporating 4G BTS into the existing 1,000 mobile BTS sites, installing 5,000 Fixed Wireless Access devices, installing long-haul and short-haul microwave links, expanding core IP backbone network, and expanding charging, billing, value-added service and other sub-systems.
To a question, State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam told journalists that Teletalk has been running its operations since its inception as a government tool or arm since other networks excepting Teletalk could hardly reach the CHT and char land areas.
"Bangladesh is a welfare-oriented country for which the government always has to look into people's wellbeing," he said.
It was also informed in the briefing that the Planning Commission has already received a project to initiate 5G coverage in select areas of Dhaka city, which is under process.
About the ECNEC meeting, Mannan said all 10 approved projects will cost Tk79.85 billion.
"Out of the cost Tk66.60 billion will come from government's internal resources while Tk 1.37 billion from the implementing agencies' own funds and the rest Tk11.88 billion as project assistance," the planning minister said.
Of the approved 10 projects, nine are new while one is a revised project.
State Minister Dr Shamsul Alam, Planning Commission members and secretaries concerned also joined the briefing.
The ECNEC meeting approved the 'Replacing existing bailey and other risky bridges at dilapidated, narrow and important points (Rangpur Zone) project' at Tk8.61 billion.
Mannan said when the project was placed before the meeting, the Prime Minister asked the authorities concerned to find out such dilapidated bridges across the country for replacing.
The ECNEC endorsed the 'Enhancing capacity of Bangladesh Film Archives and collection, conservation of audio-visuals of the War of Liberation from local and foreign sources project' costing Tk 626.8 million.
During discussion on this project at the meeting, the premier asked the authorities concerned to collect and conserve all the War of Liberation-related mementos from various countries, especially from Eastern Europe, the planning minister said.
The ECNEC meeting endorsed the Upgradation of Bagerhat-Rampal-Mongla district highway to due standards and width at Tk 4.68 billion, Developing important roads under Keraniganj upazila in Dhaka district at Tk 10.90 billion, Setting up of Madarganj 100MW Solar Power Plant at Jamalpur at Tk 15.12 billion, and the Dudhkumar River management and development in Kurigram project at Tk 6.93 billion.
The other projects given the go are: Char development and settlement project-4 (LGED portion) at Tk1.07 billion, Palli Jibikayon Project (3rd phase) at Tk9.29 billion and Integrated livestock development at coastal char areas (1st revised) at an additional cost of Tk590.9 million.
Replying to another question about the final GDP growth of 3.51 per cent in FY2020, down from the provisional estimation of 5.24 per cent, Dr Shamsul Alam said Bangladesh had performed much better in the global context despite the pandemic.
He said that Bangladesh was on top of South Asia in respect of GDP-growth attainment while countries like China and India also witnessed much less growth during that time.
Statistics and Informatics Division Secretary Muhammad Yamin Chowdhury said that the BBS is working to prepare quarterly GDP data aimed at assuming the economic trend of the shorter period.
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