Tk 1,059cr optical fiber network dev project approved for 5G

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) on Tuesday approved a Taka 1,059.10 crore project for developing the optical fiber transmission network of Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) for expanding 5G network in the country.

The approval came at the 11th meeting of the ECNEC in the current fiscal year (FY22) held with its Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

The premier joined the meeting virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence in Dhaka, BSS reports.

Ministers, State Ministers and Secretaries concerned attended the meeting from the NEC Conference Room in the city’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.

Briefing the reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said a total of 10 projects were approved today involving an overall estimated cost of Taka 8,804.10 crore.

“Of the total project cost, Taka 8,515.87 crore will come from the government of Bangladesh, Taka 120.78 crore from the concerned organization’s own fund while the rest of Taka 167.45 crore from project assistance,” he added.

State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam, Planning Commission Members and Secretaries concerned were also present at the briefing.

The planning minister said the main objective of the optical fiber network upgradation project is to spread uninterrupted state of the art telecommunications network and modern broadband internet facilities across the country.

Besides, the optical fiber transmission network of the BTCL will also be developed and expanded to meet the growing demand.

The BTCL under the Post and Telecommunication Division will implement the project by December 2024.

The project aims to raise the data transmission speed to 100 gigabits per second (Gbps) at upazila levels.