Bangladesh News

Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) signed a Tk 18 crore deal with Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) on Wednesday for installation of a back-up optical fibre network between Dhaka and Cox’s Bazar to ensure better access to the submarine cable system.

Official sources said the three-year deal will now ensure an uninterrupted service of Internet and telecom connections that largely rely on the submarine cable system from Cox’s Bazar.

After installation, the PGCB back-up network will automatically handle the data flow to ensure connectivity in case the BTTB’s 433km optical fibre line is disrupted.

Ever since the BTTB launched the submarine cable system in 2006, it has been operating with a single optical fibre network between Cox’s Bazar and Dhaka. The on-land line connects Dhaka with the Cox’s Bazar submarine cable landing station from where the nation connects to the information superhighway.

The BTTB installed its optical fibre line only a few feet below the roadside surface. Lack of a back-up optical fibre network between Cox’s Bazar and the capital has so far caused a lot of problems whenever this line was disrupted.

Having this backup line became a priority issue for BTTB following repeated snapping of the original line caused by miscreants. Each disruption deprives the BTTB of revenue of at least $70,000 per hour.

After installation BTTB has so far shut down the line eight times for maintenance work and there have been seven cases of accidental disruption and another eight instances are being termed as acts of sabotage.

BTTB had two options to set up the back-up line since late 2006, one of which was to have it from the PGCB that already has the network above the ground and over the power grid.

However, the PGCB has been asking for Tk 19.4 crore as rental and other charges for a five-year term. In addition, BTTB will have to install some equipment worth Tk 3.42 crore for this back-up line.

This cost factor, according to the telecom ministry, does not justify the option since there is an option of a free swapping deal with private telephone company Bangla Phone.

The BTTB had been negotiating with Bangla Phone since late 2006 under which the back-up services would be free, provided BTTB will give access to its line at equal terms if Bangla Phone’s line is disrupted. Bangla Phone set up the fibre optic line in early 2007 on the basis of negotiations with the BTTB.

However, the BTTB could not pen this deal because of the stance taken by Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) against Bangla Phone accusing it of setting up networks outside its licensed area.

Bangla Phone categorically defended its position, saying all of its activities have been in line with the licence terms.

The BTRC asked the BTTB not to sign any deal with Bangla Phone but failed to explain why.

In December, a court rule stayed the BTRC order against Bangla Phone. But by that time the BTTB went ahead finalising its deal with the PGCB for three years’ time instead of five years.

Presently, the BTTB is using approximately 2,799 Megabyte per second (Mbps) voice and 1,244 Mbps data bandwidth through the optical fibre and submarine cable. The submarine cable’s allocation for BTTB is more than 14 Gigabyte per second.