UNB, Dhaka :
The government’s project to introduce wireless data service to help build digital Bangladesh has become uncertain as the financer has put on hold the approval process of the evaluation report over alleged corruption charge against one of the bidders.
Economic Development Corporation Fund (EDCF), a South Korean cooperation organisation, said the approval process will remain halted until the allegation is probed.
Meanwhile, Managing Director of Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) Engineer Mahfuz Uddin Ahmad has expressed the hope that the project work will start soon resolving the stalemate.
State-run BTCL took the ‘Installation of Wireless Broadband Network for Digital Bangladesh (4G, LTE)’ which was scheduled to be completed between May 1, 2014 and June 30, 2017.
BTCL sources said, a tender was floated on September 8 last year for ‘Supply, Installation, Testing, Commissioning of Wireless Broadband Network and Related Services on Turnkey Basis’ (Long term evolution network).
BTCL sources said, Korean EDCF was supposed to finance the project. The state-owned entity signed a loan agreement with EDCF in this regard.
A deal for appointing consultant for the project was signed on March 16, 2016 and the project distributor was appointed on May 21, 2016.
Four Korean companies bought bidding documents and three of them-KT Corporation, LG Uplus Consortium and SK Consortium-submitted the documents. The evaluation committee submitted its technical evaluation report to the project office on December 12 of the year.
Later, the project office forwarded the report to the BTCL for sending it to EDCF. The financial tender proposal was supposed to be invited once the EDCF approved the technical evaluation report.
However, LG Uplus and KT complained to the Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) that the SK Consortium and Daeyeong Ubitec, the consulting firm in charge of the basic design of the project, are in collusion.
The two bidders in the letters said there is strong allegation and evidence of ‘collusive practice’, ‘conflict of interest’, fraud and corruption between SK Consortium and Daeyeong Ubitec regarding the evaluation process of the tender as they have breached the confidentiality and public procurement rules.
Following the allegation, the EDCF put on hold the approval process of the evaluation report until probe ends.
About the allegation, the BTCL MD said the two bidders claimed that there was a telephonic conversation between SK Consortium and Dayeong Ubitec before finalisation of the tender.
He said they have sent a letter to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to get details of the conversation.
In reply, the telecom regulatory, however, said the Home Ministry’s permission is required for getting the record of the phone conversation, Mahfuz said, adding that the BTCL has sent a letter to the Home Ministry through Posts and Telecommunications Ministry for the permission. “We’ll investigate the allegation once we get the conversation record,” he said.
Hoping that the stalemate will be resolved soon, he said, “We’ll issue the work order once the allegation is settled.”
He also said, subscribers in both cities and villages will enjoy speedy internet while the ICT-based education will get a boost across the country once the project is implemented. “This will end digital discrimination between villages and towns,” he said.
The BTCL MD hoped that the project will end by December 31, 2018.
He said a modern landline service with a cordless handset covering one and half km area will be introduced under the project.
Mahfuz said a subscriber can make a call using the cordless handset from within the specific distance.
The modern landline service will initially be launched in several areas, he said, adding that it will later be expanded to everywhere across the country. “Subscribers will get the connections free of cost.” The existing telephone lines will also be upgraded to modern ones, the BTCL MD said.
“BTCL has taken the WBM project to help materialise the government’s vision to build Digital Bangladesh. It’ll take highest two year to launch the new modern landline service having the facilities of using data, voice and video options,” he said.
The government’s project to introduce wireless data service to help build digital Bangladesh has become uncertain as the financer has put on hold the approval process of the evaluation report over alleged corruption charge against one of the bidders.
Economic Development Corporation Fund (EDCF), a South Korean cooperation organisation, said the approval process will remain halted until the allegation is probed.
Meanwhile, Managing Director of Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) Engineer Mahfuz Uddin Ahmad has expressed the hope that the project work will start soon resolving the stalemate.
State-run BTCL took the ‘Installation of Wireless Broadband Network for Digital Bangladesh (4G, LTE)’ which was scheduled to be completed between May 1, 2014 and June 30, 2017.
BTCL sources said, a tender was floated on September 8 last year for ‘Supply, Installation, Testing, Commissioning of Wireless Broadband Network and Related Services on Turnkey Basis’ (Long term evolution network).
BTCL sources said, Korean EDCF was supposed to finance the project. The state-owned entity signed a loan agreement with EDCF in this regard.
A deal for appointing consultant for the project was signed on March 16, 2016 and the project distributor was appointed on May 21, 2016.
Four Korean companies bought bidding documents and three of them-KT Corporation, LG Uplus Consortium and SK Consortium-submitted the documents. The evaluation committee submitted its technical evaluation report to the project office on December 12 of the year.
Later, the project office forwarded the report to the BTCL for sending it to EDCF. The financial tender proposal was supposed to be invited once the EDCF approved the technical evaluation report.
However, LG Uplus and KT complained to the Central Procurement Technical Unit (CPTU) that the SK Consortium and Daeyeong Ubitec, the consulting firm in charge of the basic design of the project, are in collusion.
The two bidders in the letters said there is strong allegation and evidence of ‘collusive practice’, ‘conflict of interest’, fraud and corruption between SK Consortium and Daeyeong Ubitec regarding the evaluation process of the tender as they have breached the confidentiality and public procurement rules.
Following the allegation, the EDCF put on hold the approval process of the evaluation report until probe ends.
About the allegation, the BTCL MD said the two bidders claimed that there was a telephonic conversation between SK Consortium and Dayeong Ubitec before finalisation of the tender.
He said they have sent a letter to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to get details of the conversation.
In reply, the telecom regulatory, however, said the Home Ministry’s permission is required for getting the record of the phone conversation, Mahfuz said, adding that the BTCL has sent a letter to the Home Ministry through Posts and Telecommunications Ministry for the permission. “We’ll investigate the allegation once we get the conversation record,” he said.
Hoping that the stalemate will be resolved soon, he said, “We’ll issue the work order once the allegation is settled.”
He also said, subscribers in both cities and villages will enjoy speedy internet while the ICT-based education will get a boost across the country once the project is implemented. “This will end digital discrimination between villages and towns,” he said.
The BTCL MD hoped that the project will end by December 31, 2018.
He said a modern landline service with a cordless handset covering one and half km area will be introduced under the project.
Mahfuz said a subscriber can make a call using the cordless handset from within the specific distance.
The modern landline service will initially be launched in several areas, he said, adding that it will later be expanded to everywhere across the country. “Subscribers will get the connections free of cost.” The existing telephone lines will also be upgraded to modern ones, the BTCL MD said.
“BTCL has taken the WBM project to help materialise the government’s vision to build Digital Bangladesh. It’ll take highest two year to launch the new modern landline service having the facilities of using data, voice and video options,” he said.
