Ecnec okays Tk1,059cr project to expand, develop 5G network

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) today approved a Tk1,059.10 crore project for developing the optical fibre transmission network of Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) for expanding 5G network across 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 here.

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 on Tuesday (22 February) involving an overall estimated cost of Tk8,804.10 crore.

"Of the total project cost, Tk8,515.87 crore will come from the government of Bangladesh, Tk120.78 crore from the concerned organization's own fund while the rest of Tk167.45 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 fibre network upgradation project is to spread uninterrupted state of the art telecommunications network and modern broadband internet facilities across the country.

Besides, the optical fibre 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.