Staff Reporter :
In order to reach internet facilities to the remote areas of the country Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) of the ICT Division is working throug a project named “Connected Bangladesh”. Through this project, BCC will ensure high-speed internet facilities in 617 remote unions of Bangladesh, sources said.
Under the project, a high-speed network will be established in the telecommunication-deprived areas. The project started in October 2018 and will run till December 2023 with an estimated cost of Tk 504.43 crore.
Project Director Jagadish Chandra Sarker said, “Government has already reached high speed internet facility to 3800 unions across the country under two projects. Now Connected Bangladesh project is working to reach the facility to new 617 unions which are locating remote areas of the country.”
This project will eliminate inequality between the mainstream population and those living in 617 riverine, hilly and remote unions, also said the Project Director adding that some other unions where optical fibre cable set up cannot possible will be brought up under internet facility through satellite process.
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. One of the objectives of this project is to
provide network connectivity to all schools, colleges, madrasas, growth centres, telecom operators etc. in remote areas.
Apart from promoting e-commerce, e-services, telemedicine through high-speed internet usage, one of the goals of the project is to increase employment in the IT sector and create new entrepreneurs.
The Connected Bangladesh project is being implemented with the funding of the ‘Social Obligation Fund (SOF)’ managed by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) under the Posts and Telecommunications Division to expand telecommunication facilities.
Under this project, 8106 km of optical fibre cable is being installed at the union level, backbone router and DC power system are being installed in the union and pop room renovation work are underway.
Bangladesh Cable Shilpa Ltd, Khulna, a state-owned company, has procured 8106 km of optical fibre cable and 5,000 km of duct pipes. As of January 2022, according to the internal data of the project, the work of Pop Room Renovation is about 51.28% and the work of laying Optical Fiber Cable is about 40.22%.
