Organization: Teletalk Bangladesh Limited (Teletalk)
Country: Bangladesh
Project Title: Expansion of Teletalk’s Mobile Broadband Network in Coastal, Hill tracts and other Hard to Reach Areas
Project Duration: 1 December, 2021 to 30 Jun, 2025
Executive Summary
The vision of the Government is to reach the ICT facilities and services to every corner of the country including unconnected digitally divided rural people of hard-to-reach areas with affordable price and cater for future connectivity demands.
Through the high-speed mobile internet services Teletalk Bangladesh Limited is contributing to eliminate the digital divide of the un-connected people living in hard-to-reach areas as scoped under the project. In developing the socio-economic conditions and to build up the Government’s 'Smart Bangladesh' goal, Teletalk is playing a prominent role such as:
- It is contributing in e-education sector, in Job application, in weather update, e-banking services, e-health services, farming of cattle, fish farming and agriculture sector and to enrich the knowledge area.
- Supporting to various government services such as birth registration, creation/amendment of national identity card, passport and facilitation of various technology-based services.
- Women skill development, employment and entrepreneurship to become self-dependent.
- By keeping updated of national and international market news through online papers, the traders here are able to find ways to further enrich their day-to-day business.
Although the project implementation is very challenging, but the project team is trying its level best to complete the works timely maintaining the telecom standards. Considering the impacts and benefits, this project may be followed and replicated in Bangladesh as well as worldwide to cover remote areas and to connect the unconnected digitally divided rural people ensuring the socio-economic growth.
Objective
- Bridging the existing digital divide by introducing high speed mobile broadband services to the telecom disadvantaged population in coastal, hill tracts and other remote areas.
- Providing of high-speed 4G technology-based Internet and other telecommunication services at low cost to the people of coastal, hill tracts and other hard-to-reach remote areas.
- To increase additional 1million mobile subscribers by deploying new 420 sites (2G+4G) along with solar system. Ensure high speed data facility to implement the vision of the Government’s “Digital Bangladesh by 2021.
Expected Result
Successful implementation of the project will bring improvement in the socio-economic condition of those area. Under this Project a high capacity access network, strong transmission & IP backbone network and associate core network expansions will be implemented to facilitate various telecom Value Added Services (VAS), high speed internet services and ICT services in affordable price, through which Teletalk Bangladesh Limited would be able to eliminate the digital divide of the un-connected people living in the hard-to-reach areas, patronize tourism opportunities, contribute living standard improvement of indigenous people and fishermen, reduce the damage from cyclone, landslides and other disasters through timely communication and will play a prominent role to build up the Government’s 'Smart Bangladesh' goal.
Impact
- Employment generation through the project: This project will create a lot of employments for the purposes of market promoting, SIM card distribution, recharge points, internet content development etc. which will certainly contribute to decrease unemployment problem.
- Possibility of Self-employment: This project has created opportunities to setup small business of selling SIM card, recharging point, online application center, cyber café etc. Hence, the project will contribute in creating self-employment also.
- Possibility of women-employment opportunity: Lots of women entrepreneurs are involved in selling SIM card, mobile recharge, customer care centers etc.
- Women's participation in development: During project implementation lots of women are involved for project management, product supply, installation, testing etc.
- Probable Impact on Socio-Economic activity: Impact of this project on socio-economic activities is very high. It is creating a strong impact on substantial employment & revenue generation and overall growth to the national economy as concerned in the under privileged areas scoped under the project.
- Impact on environment: As all the equipment used in this project are IEEE certified, so there is no harmful effect on environment. There is no incident of cutting-down trees or occupying agricultural lands.
- Contribution to poverty alleviation/reduction: With the execution and operation of the project, there exists direct and indirect opportunities of employment generation through economic activities in different arenas of the hard-to-reach areas. So this project will contribute a lot in alleviation /reduction of poverty there. Contribution of the project is very much positive now and will enhance day by day.
- Direct Impact of the project: After completion of this project, mobile networks will be expanded through a number of sites in Coastal, Hill, Island and Marshland areas of Bangladesh. Expected subscriber addition is around 7 Lac and company’s monthly revenue incremental projection is around BDT 5 crore through the project sites. The brand image of Teletalk will become strong enough in those hard-to-reach areas to compete other big multinational operators of Bangladesh. After the launching mobile services in those areas, Teletalk will experience significant growth on revenue generations from Voice, SMS, Internet and VAS services.
- Indirect Impact of the project: Mobile technology will revolutionize lives of millions people of the project locations. Now mobile is not just a means for communication but it is a tool for many services including health, education, entertainment and even payment. In addition it will create a lot of employments for the purposes of market promoting SIM card distribution, recharge points, internet content development etc. which is certainly will contribute a lot to decrease unemployment problem.
Project Location & Scope:
The implementation of the Project has started on March, 2022 in order to provide Teletalk’s 2G/3G/4G mobile network in Coastal, Hilltract, Haor, Island, Beel, Enclaves and Marshland areas of different locations of Bangladesh to develop the socio-economic status and connect the unconnected digitally divided remote people to the technology highway of digital Bangladesh.
The areas of the project deployment are as follows:
- Coastal areas of Bagerhat, Khulna and Bhola districts.
- Hill tract areas of Khagrachari, Rangamati and Bandarban districts
- Island areas of Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar, Noakhali and districts.
- Haor areas of Netrokona, Kishoreganj, Sunamganj, Sylhet and Mymensingh districts.
- Marshland areas of Brahmmanbaria, Chandpur, Shariatpur Munshiganj districts.
- Small ethnic group areas of Tangail district.
- Enclave areas of Lalmonirhat and Dinajpur districts.
Figure: Project Location & Targeted Coverage
During the project implementation stage, the following equipment and works will be implemented to meet the project’s objective and targets:
- Number of new acquired sites: 420 nos
- Number of 2G+3G+4G single RAN Base Station equipment: 420 nos
- Number of Short Haul Microwave Links: 500 nos
- Number of Long Haul Microwave Links: 25 nos
- IP Core Network: 470 nos of IP core devices.
- BTS room and Tower construction: 420 sites
- Shared BTS room and Tower: 158 sites
- Commercial Power connection site quantity: 402 sites
- Grounding, MDB and fire-fighting: 422 sites
- DC Power (Battery and Rectifier): 422 sets
- Construction of solar power systems at 420 BTS sites and
- Other associated/ related system/sub-system with necessary infrastructures.
Figure: Types of Infrastructures to be built under the Project
Figure: Construction work under the Project
In-line of ICT Policy 2009
The project has been taken for reaching the few targets set in ICT Policy 2009 which are relevant to the Telecom Operators, especially the state owned mobile operator in Bangladesh. As part of the government, Teletalk is assigned for few actions such as increasing the tele-density around the country, introducing 3G services, ensuring the price affordability for mass peoples and etc.
Also implementing the project, Teletalk was directed to be played a supportive role to fulfill the objectives of ICT Policy 2009:
- Through establishing a ceaseless high speed 3G/4G internet connectivity, Social equity, Gender parity, Equal opportunity and Equitable participation in nation-building through access to ICTs for all, including persons with disabilities and special needs can be ensured.
- Higher productivity across all economic sectors including agriculture and SMME (small, medium and micro enterprises) can be achieved through the use of ICTs with 3rd Generation Mobile Technology.
- Also will bring the cost effective and efficient broadband solution for coordinating and implementing the Education and Research, Employment Generation, Strengthening Exports, Healthcare, and Environmental, Climate and Disaster management
Challenges
- Site acquisition, material carrying and deployment works were very challenging in the project areas due to the difficult communication and transportation network in the hard-to-reach areas. In some locations even there is no road communication and only in the rainy season through boat can be accessed in those Haor and Marshland areas.
- Site deployment and maintenance work is very tough and dangerous in Hill Tracts area considering the road accessibility and remoteness.
- Due to hard-to-reach area, in some cases there exists no commercial power. So a great number of sites will run through Solar System collaborating with DEG. Generator fuel carrying and fueling will be a great challenges during site maintenance activities.
Replicability
Through this project Teletalk will provide the best price differentiation and other VAS services exclusively targeting people’s comfort, attenuating the subscriber’s hassle, and building a level playing field that is beneficiary for the subscribers. Irrespective of geo-locations of the country, Teletalk is working on expansion of its network capacity and network coverage and will continue to do so with ongoing and forthcoming projects. The implementation works under the project will generate a major source of revenue for Teletalk and it also create a fair competition in the telecom industry to reduce the price in affordable range. The project will contribute a lot to the overall economic growth of the country by increasing the communication into the tourism, fisheries, employment in small & medium industries, Empowerment of women at village level, earning foreign exchange through outsourcing, trade and commerce activities. This type of Project can be replicated in Bangladesh and also worldwide to cover remote areas where a lot of unconnected digitally divided rural people needs the ICT facilities and services.
Sustainability
For the sustainability of the project and to retain the market share of Teletalk Bangladesh Limited in those hard-to-reach areas, it is needed to be expanded the mobile network in the void/pocket areas, where signal is low, within a shortest possible time. By expanding the network, TBL can acquire more subscribers. Thus scale-up economy can be achieved and TBL can provide services at very affordable rate.
Views on WSIS Stocktaking and Prizes Contest
If this project wins the prize from WSIS, then it will inspire other telecom competitors of the country to deploy their mobile network in the hard-to-reach areas where till now nobody has shown their interest considering the low revenue earnings and remote accessibilities. Moreover, the socio-economic development impact of this project will let to think different mobile telecom operators world-wide to deploy their network at hard-to-reach areas as a part of their social responsibility.
About: Teletalk
Teletalk Bangladesh Limited is a public limited company, registered under the Registrar of the Joint stock companies of Bangladesh. Total shares owned by the Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh.
We continue to grow and engage our customers through our clear commitment to offering high quality products and services as well as leading customer retention and loyalty programmers. Teletalk continues to be a part of the revolution that’s connecting millions of Bangladeshi people and around the world.
Teletalk Bangladesh limited was established keeping a specific role in mind. Teletalk has forged ahead and strengthened its path over the years and achieved some feats truly to be proud of, as the only Bangladeshi mobile operator and the only operator with 100% native technical and engineering human resource base, Teletalk thrives to become the true people’s phone – “Amader Phone”.
Basic Objectives for Which The Company Was Formed Are Highlighted Here Under
- To provide mobile telephone service to the people from the public sector
- To ensure fair competition between public and private sectors and thereby to safeguard public interest
- To meet a portion of unmitigated high demand of mobile telephone
- To create a new source of revenue for the government.
Scope To Be Explored
m-Governance is derived from e-governance refers to government’s use of information and communication technology to exchange information and services with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government. Teletalk is ready to provide with the help of third party software, mobile interactivity for the citizens of Bangladesh with m-Governance. This may includes, but not limited to
- Mobile based Live Citizen Reporting Solution
- Mobile User Info bank (Database of Mobile Users of Bangladesh)
- Agriculture information services for the farmers and also for the end users, like product price in different parts of the country.
- Product ID for all consumer products/ Organization.
- Interactivity between Government and the Citizens.