Digital ICT Fair draws huge crowd

http://www.newagebd.com/2009/nov/12/busi.html#6

Digital ICT Fair draws huge crowd
Shop owners happy with sales
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . Dhaka

The Digital ICT Fair-2009, an annual gala exposition of computer and its accessories, is gaining momentum every day with a large number of visitors showing their keen interest to the latest brands of the most modern scientific apparatus.

Nearly 50,000 people, mostly students, have so far visited the fair since its inauguration on November 7 by information minister Abul Kalam Azad, organiser sources said.

Multiplan Centre Shop Owners Association is arranging the nine-day fair at Multiplan Centre in the city’s Elephant Road with the slogan ‘Let ICT be a Tool for Changing Days’.

Besides the capital, people from outside the city are visiting the ICT show, the biggest in Bangladesh, said Tawfique Ehsan, convener of the fair.

He said about 400 shops have been set up from the fourth floor to 10th floor on an area of about 100,000 sft, displaying different brands of computer and its accessories within the range of buyers’ capacity.

Both brand and cloned PCs, laptops, LCD monitor, mouse, keyboard, CD, speaker, DVD, CD ROM drive, calling card, internet card, mouse pad, pen drive, memory card, printer, scanner are available at cost-effective prices, Tawfique said.

Besides computer products, mobile phone and its accessories, MP3, MP4 and digital camera are being displayed at the show, he said.

Tawfique said people could buy a complete multimedia PC at a cost of Tk only 16,500 as the shops have given discounts on various computers and accessories.

Talking to the news agency, the shop owners have expressed their satisfaction over the sale of computers and other products in larger numbers.

‘Over the last four days, we sold computers and other accessories worth about Tk 50 lakh which is our beyond expectations,’ said Manoj Das, branch in-charge, System Palace Ltd.

He said the demand for laptop was more than that for desktop computers and most of the visitors, especially students, are opting for the lighter one. The price of each laptop ranges from Tk 24,000 to Tk 1,25,000, he added.

Visitors as well as buyers are happy with the overall congenial atmosphere ensured with safety and security in and around the fair.

Anika Islam, a third-year student of Eden Girls College, who came to the fair with her three friends, said, ‘We are very happy to see a very beautiful environment here.’

Nazrul Islam, a buying house official who came to buy a laptop at the fair, said, he would purchase a laptop after verifying its prices. He, however, made a comment that the prices of the laptop at the fair are somewhat cheaper compared to those in markets.

The organisers of the fair have taken strict security measures deploying about 50 smart volunteers and installing specialised metal detectors at each entrance of the fair venue.

Monwar Hossain Talukdar Shyamol, convener of the media sub-committee, said the organisers had arranged painting competition for children, debate, SMS and quiz competitions for students, seminar, symposium, free online ticket booking and internet browsing to give an otherwise look to the fair.

The fair open for all from 10:00am to 8:00pm every day will continue till November 15. The entry fee has been fixed at Tk 10 but the school students have free access to the fair, the organisers said.

DMP ‘goes digital’

http://www.theindependent-bd.com/details.php?nid=149560

DMP ‘goes digital’
bdnews24.com, Dhaka

Dhaka Metropolitan Police is being digitally equipped from this month, for becoming a more effective and modern crime fighting force, officials say.

WiMAX wireless technology is being installed at each of the city’s police stations for better communications to quash crime and terror in the capital.

Additional deputy commissioner (public relations) of DMP Walid Hassan told the news agency Tuesday the state-of-the-art wireless communication will empower the police to counter crime with a blitzkrieg.

“New digital technology will let two officers communicate one-to-one ensuring secrecy before a surprise raid,” he said.

The police control room or headquarters will be able to monitor the position of a specific case too, with the new wireless device, he added.

Besides, top officials at the headquarters would be able to conduct video conferencing and quiz any detained person at any of the police stations, he added.

Assistant commissioner (public relations) Shyamol Mukharjee said, “With the help of close circuit cameras being set up at some 155 spots around the city will allow police to supervise traffic jam and know the status of the traffic flows at specific areas.”

Each police station will have eight more CCTV cameras that should help them to monitor the situation under their jurisdiction, he said.

Hassan said, “A database will also be developed at each police station where information about crime and criminals will be readily available. As a result, all the background of a detained can be found instantly as soon as one is held.”

An internal network sight-board would also be set up at police stations displaying photographs, identity, details of crime and information gathered after quizzing when an accused is held, he added.

The new digital gadgets would help the police force a lot to come to grips rising crime, said Hossain, adding the facilities would start to be installed within this month.

Meanwhile, an eight-day training programme on WiMAX was conducted recently where 34 police officers were trained. There would be similar training for other officials in the next phase, Hossain added.

BTSS to produce low-cost phone-mobile sets, laptops

http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2009/11/09/news0007.htm

BTSS to produce low-cost phone-mobile sets, laptops

Rafiqul Islam Azad

The government has decided to produce low-cost land phone and mobile phone sets, laptop and different telephone tools and machinery in the country.

Under the imitative, Bangladesh Telephone Shilpa Sangstha (BTSS) has already floated an international tender to procure necessary technology and equipment from abroad, according to sources in the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications.

The state-run company would be the first in Bangladesh to manufacture and market cellular phones early next year and in the process reduce dependence on import in the fast growing telecom sector, a well placed official source said. He said the BTSS mobile phone was expected to be available in the market by February next.

“The price range of the hand-sets will be between Tk 1,500 and Tk 10,000, depending on their options and features,” said the official.

According to the official a tender in this regard has been floated on November 1 and tender documents will be scrutinised on November 15, the source said.

With the implementation of the project, huge foreign exchange will be saved and employment opportunity will be created, he said.

The BTSS would be able to produce modern land phone and mobile phone sets, laptop and different telephone accessories adding more technologies and equipment with the existing one as “There is trained manpower and necessary infrastructure with the BTSS,” the official said.

Earlier, following a meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication, Hasanul Haque Inu, chairman of the committee told journalists that the government is also planning to produce low-cost laptop at the BTSS factory in Tongi.

He said the government would try to reduce technological discrimination by providing tele-equipment to the people at affordable prices in line with the government’s Vision 2021 for Digital Bangladesh.

The production of the BTSS was stopped following change over of Ershad government due to mismanagements, lack of planning, indecision and corruption. Earlier, it produced different telecommunication machinery including telephone set, EMD switching, DP, pole, cabinet and joint materials.

Record shows that since establishment the BTSS supplied about 3,00,000 EMD switching, 5,00,000 telephone sets, 655 trunk exchanges, 403 analogue PABX, 7 digital exchanges, installed mobile exchange for important institutions in public and private sectors.

TigerIT ranks first in US competition

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=113293

TigerIT ranks first in US competition
Star Business Report

TigerIT Bangladesh Ltd, a local IT firm, ranked first in the minutiae interoperability exchange test by US-based National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

The purpose of the Minutiae Interoperability Exchange Test (MINEX) is to determine the feasibility of using minutiae data as an interchange medium for fingerprint information between different fingerprint matching systems.

This is recognition for Bangladesh for developing identity (ID) management, which may help local IT companies to get works from the global market, said Ziaur Rahman, chairman and chief executive officer of TigerIT Bangladesh.

“This recognition means we are the best in some sectors, such as making national ID cards and machine readable passports,” he said.

MINEX is designed to evaluate whether various populations and combinations of encoding schemes, probe templates, gallery templates and fingerprint matchers will produce successful matches.

The recently published NIST test results revealed that a combination of the Tiger’s AFIS (automated fingerprint identification system) enrolment template generator and the matcher showed false non-match rate of 0.06 percent at a fixed false match rate of 0.01 for two fingers.

It outperformed Japanese NEC’s 0.08 percent, US-based Cogent’s 0.11 percent and France’s Sagem 0.12 percent.

TigerIT was earlier ranked second by NIST for developing an automated fingerprint identification system with high accuracy.

BB’s Automated Clearing House begins trial run

http://www.newagebd.com/2009/nov/09/busi.html#2

BB’s Automated Clearing House begins trial run
United News of Bangladesh . Dhaka

Bangladesh Bank on Sunday launched the trial run of newly introduced Automated Clearing House, as part of its move to digitalise the country’s banking system.

Under the new automated system, banks will not need to send their cheques physically to the clearing house at the central bank for effecting fund transfer. Now the banks can do the job online from their own offices using machine readable cheques and the funds will be transferred electronically.

However, the banks can also drop their cheques at the ACH at Bangladesh Bank where the machine can take image and data of 300 cheques per minute.

The new magnetic ink character recognition encoded cheques have already been introduced by different banks to integrate with the new system. The encoded cheques will reduce the cheque clearance time to only two hours from the two days required so long.

Initially, the new ACH will run for about 1100 branches of different banks within the Dhaka city. Gradually all the branches across the country will come under the new system.

Bangladesh Bank is implementing the ACH with $8.5 million financial support of the DFID, UK.

Formally launching the trial run of the new ACH system, Bangladesh Bank governor Atiur Rahman said the new system would take few months to be fully operational.

On the first day, three banks — Dutch Bangla Bank, Janata Bank and Dhaka Bank — commenced their online cheque clearing.

The BB governor said the trial run of ACH would continue until all the banks were ready to be integrated into the new system.

He noted that so far 35 of the 39 banks, both private and state-owned, completed all preparations to introduce the new system.

The central bank governor hoped that the rest of the banks will complete their preparations within few months to get the new ACH system fully functional.

He said the main benefit of the new ACH system will go to the business firms and to the remittance earners as they will get their payments within a day instead of waiting for days.

This will facilitate the online banking as well.

‘ACH system is based on latest state-of-the art technology. It’s a most secured system,’ he said.

The BB governor also said the existing clearing system would also continue alongside the new one.

He said the new automated system will contribute one per cent to the GDP through expediting the business transactions.

The function at the central bank was also addressed by deputy governor Ziaul Hasan Siddiqui, ACH project director Chowdhury Mohidul Haque and DFID Bangladesh chief Chris Austin.

A BRAC Bank press release on Sunday said the bank today starts the systems integration testing with the central bank for the Bangladesh Automated Clearing House.

BRAC Bank has been short-listed by the Bangladesh Bank for the BACH project to go live as a pilot basis. BRAC bank has been keeping the pace of developments to meet up the deadline of Bangladesh Bank, the release said.

Bangladesh IT companies participating in NY Global Sourcing Forum

http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2009/11/08/83696.html

Bangladesh IT companies participating in NY Global Sourcing Forum

FE Report

Top executives from 12 leading Software and IT services companies from Bangladesh are participating in Global Sourcing Forum & Expo, New York, the premier IT Outsourcing event of USA which will be held at Jacob Javits Convention Center, New York, USA on November 11-12, 2009 with a Country Pavilion supported by Export Promotion Bureau and BASIS, the national association for Software and IT enabled services of Bangladesh. This is going to be a grand participation of BASIS member companies in USA for the 2 nd time. Global Sourcing Forum draws a large number of senior business executives in USA who are responsible for the overall IT procurement of their companies.

Mr Zainal Abedin, M.P., Member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce will lead the government delegation while BASIS Vice President Mr Shameem Ahsan will lead the BASIS contingent as Team Leader. Mr Monoj Kumar Roy, Joint Secretary (Export), Ministry of Commerce, Mr Shafquat Haider, Director, FBCCI and BASIS and Mr Kawser Jamal, Coordinator, BASIS team at GFSE New York will be in the delegation.

BITS Solutions Ltd., Databiz Inc, Devnet Limited, Global Web Outsourcing, Infinity Technology International Ltd., Inspiring Through Information Web (ITIW), Mazumder IT Limited, SW Multimedia Ltd. , US Software Ltd. are participating as Exhibitors and Daffodil Computers Ltd., DataSoft Systems Bangladesh Ltd. and Ethics Advance Technology Ltd. will participate as visitors.

There has been a rising global confidence in Bangladesh and its IT Industry in the recent years. Goldman Sachs recognized Bangladesh as one of the Next Eleven (N-11) – a list of eleven countries having strong potential for becoming the world’s largest economies along with BRICs (Brazil, Russia, India and China), with highly promising outlooks for investment and future growth. European Commission has recently included Bangladesh as one of the top IT Outsourcing destinations in the world.

BASIS contingent is bearing the slogan “Bangladesh: Asia’s Emerging IT Services Destination” during this exhibition. EPB and BASIS will also organize a seminar on Bangladesh IT Industry on November 12 at the fair venue where top executives from US IT Companies, IT Associations, Chamber of Commerce and media will attend.

MoU for postal money order thru’electronic fund transfer signed

http://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2009/11/08/83705.html

MoU for postal money order thru’electronic fund transfer signed
Bangladesh Post Office has recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Information Technology Consultants Ltd (ITCL) for introducing postal money order service through Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) solution.

M Mobasherur Rahman, director general of Post Office, and Kazi Saifuddin Munir, managing director and CEO of ITCL, signed the MoU on behalf of their organisations.

Among others, AKM Rafiqul Alam, additional director general (Postal Service) and AKM Rafiqul Islam, director (Mails) of the post office, and Zubaer Ahmed, senior executive officer of business development, and Nurul Huda, relationship manager from ITCL, were present in the signing ceremony.

Bangladeshi IT companies participate in US exposition

http://www.newagebd.com/2009/nov/07/busi.html#21

Bangladeshi IT companies participate in US exposition
Business Desk

Some 12 leading software and IT services companies from Bangladesh will participate in Global Sourcing Forum and Expo, New York, a premier IT outsourcing event of USA.

The expo will be held in New York over November 11-12.

Some 23 top executives will represent the participating Bangladeshi companies. A country pavilion will be supported by the Export Promotion Bureau and Bangladesh Association of Software and Information.

Zainal Abedin, member of parliamentary standing committee on Commerce will lead the government delegation while BASIS vice president Shameem Ahsan will lead the BASIS contingent as team leader.

Grameenphone partners with Microsoft

http://nation.ittefaq.com/issues/2009/11/06/news0796.htm

Grameenphone partners with Microsoft

Business Report

Grameenphone Ltd. partnered with Microsoft to use Microsoft Digital Literacy Curriculum in order to increase IT literacy among the rural people across the country. The agreement was signed at the GP head office in Gulshan on Wednesday.

The Digital Literacy Curriculum a unique e-learning module which will educate people on relevant IT skills such as basic computer skills; accessing the internet and world wide web; using productivity applications; understanding computer security and privacy; and leading a digital lifestyle.

All the contents will be in Bengali and is targeted towards the rural students, unemployed youth and women. The curriculum will be disseminated through the over 500 Grameenphone Community Information Centers (GPCIC), and other vehicles of GP CSR initiatives (Info Boat, Alok deep and other educational institutions) located across the country.

Sandi Thomas, General Manager, Communication Sector, Microsoft Asia Pacific, and Feroz Mahmud, Country Manager, Microsoft Bangladesh were present from Microsoft while Grameenphone CEO, Oddvar Hesjedal and Chief Marketing Officer, Arild Kaale. Kazi Monirul Kabir, Chief Communications Officer and Odd-Egil Aasen, Director, Internet Services, Commercial Division of Grameenphone were also present on the occasion.

In the agreement between GP and Microsoft, Microsoft will be the licensor, GP will be the Licensee and CICs & other CSR initiatives (Info boat, Alok Deeps & educational institutions) will be the authorized centers.

Microsoft is providing this digital literacy curriculum including examination free of cost for this initiative. Under the terms of the agreement Microsoft will provide licensed e-Iearning content to each authorized GPCIC, Alok Deep (non-formal school-cum-cyclone shelters), Information Boat (Tothya Tori) and educational institution.

Through e-Iearning, users will be able to access and learn through online digital , literacy resources with the provision for online assessment tests through the GPCIC website. The assessment modules will be certificate tests and successful candidates will be presented with a certificate of their achievement.

Grameenphone strives to deliver information and communication based services in rural community for socio-economic development.

Banglalink launches business info service

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=112723

Banglalink launches business info service
Star Business Desk

Banglalink has launched a call centre-based service to access business related information, said a statement.

Banglalink along with Katalyst, a project under Ministry of Commerce, launched the service styled “Babsha Jigyasha 7677” at a ceremony on Monday in Dhaka.

Banglalink customers can avail of the service seven days a week, 24 hours a day by dialling 7677.

Dr Atiur Rahman, governor of Bangladesh Bank, was present in the ceremony as chief guest along with Ahmed Abou Doma, chief executive officer of Banglalink.

Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, secretary of Economic Relations Division in the Ministry of Finance, and Feroz Ahmed, secretary of Ministry of Commerce, were present.

Representatives of SSL and Nirjhor IT, the service partners for “Babsha Jigyasha”, were also present.

DSE to introduce online trading

http://www.newagebd.com/2009/nov/04/busi.html#1

DSE to introduce online trading
Staff Correspondent

Dhaka Stock Exchange will introduce internet-based trading system within six months to expedite stock trading.

‘For a fast moving market, it is needed to introduce the system,’ DSE president Rakibur Rahman told reporters after a meeting with the US ambassador James F Moriarty at the bourse’s auditorium Tuesday.

‘We’ll try to introduce the internet-based trading system by six months,’ he said.

Internet-based or online trading system means buying and selling stocks by giving the order though internet, usually on a broker’s form. In this system, buy or sale confirmation is done by mail or e-mail.

The DSE president said the settlement period would also be reduced to one day from existing three days if commercial banks launch online money transaction from one bank to another by December in compliance of the central bank’s directive.

On Monday, Bangladesh Bank issued a circular that said from now onwards the subscribers would be able to pay utility bills online from their bank accounts and also transfer funds to other banks. It added that transactions between buyers and sellers can also take place online, enabling e-commerce facilities in the country.

Through the online trading system, anybody can observe the market situation on the internet and place buy and sale order through one’s respective broker.

Quoting the US ambassador the DSE chief said, ‘He appreciated the development of the Bangladesh stock market and called to enhance transparency and accountability in the market to protect the small investors’ interest.’

Construction of digital univ to begin next year

http://www.newagebd.com/2009/nov/03/met.html#2

Construction of digital univ to begin next year
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . Dhaka

The first ever complete information-based digital university will be set up in Gazipur as part of the present government’s vow to build ‘Digital Bangladesh’ by 2021.

Construction work of the proposed university named Bangabandhu Digital University will begin next year and the university is expected to launch academic journey in 2013.

The university will be established on 18.4 acres of land at Kaliakoir of the district, according to sources at the science, information and communication technology ministry.

Infrastructure development, preparation of syllabus and educational curriculum will be conducted by the Bangladesh Computer Society while the government will allocate land and provide policy support.

South Korean KEXIN bank will provide $1.5 crore as soft loan to build the digital university as well as start its academic year.

An agreement between the government and the Bangladesh Computer Samity has been already signed in this regard, ministry sources said.

The BCS president, Mostofa Jabbar, told the news agency, ‘We would like to be a stakeholder in the huge commercial market of IT and we took the initiative of building a digital university in this regard,’ he said.

The university would be a different kind of educational institute, where teachers and students would not use any book, they will use compact disk with soft copies of text books.

‘No paper-based examination will be held and traditional trend of memorizing lessons, notes and guides will not be practiced,’ he said, adding ‘No one can even get any chance to adopt unfair means of copying at the examinations as those will be conducted in digital format and results will be published just after completing the exams.’

The BCS president said the university will have school section where education will begin at play group to secondary level.

The students of the university will get post graduation degrees through using third generation (3G) IT and they will get internet facilities at every corners of the campus.

Bangladesh Bank introduces online payment system

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=112433

Banking enters new era
Bangladesh Bank introduces online payment system

Rejaul Karim Byron and Nafid Imran Ahmed

Hassles are about to be over. Shoppers will no longer have to go to market spending hours in traffic jams. One does not need to stand in long queues to pay utility bills. All are now possible on the internet.

Bangladesh Bank yesterday introduced online payment systems facilitating fund transfers and payment of utility bills on the net. The new move allows people to use local currency credit cards for online transactions within the country.

Although these services are being introduced on a smaller scale, it is seen as the first step toward a full-fledged online banking.

This move will certainly enhance the use of e-commerce and online banking services facilitating subscribers of all commercial banks in Bangladesh.

The central bank issued a circular to all commercial banks saying subscribers to internet banking will now be able to pay utility bills online from customers’ accounts to billing accounts.

“This will create a revolution in e-commerce and online banking,” said Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman.

Online fund transfer between two accounts under the same name in the same bank will also be possible.

The circular mentioned that e-commerce-based transaction between buyers and sellers can also be done through internet banking. Online transactions by credit card in local currency will also be possible.

“This is the first and the most significant step towards electronic transaction in the country,” Munir Hasan, consultant, Access to Information (A2I) project under the Prime Minister’s Office, told The Daily Star.

Vice Chairman of Association of Bankers Bangladesh Nurul Amin, also managing director of National Credit and Commerce Bank Ltd, said: “Banks need to be prepared for offering such services. Customisation and integration are necessary for this purpose.”

Security measures along with a legal framework need to be put in place to safeguard both customers and banks, he added.

These transactions will only be possible now within the accounts under the same bank offering online banking.

Online transaction between banks will be possible with the introduction of e-Payment Gateway, an e-commerce application service provider service that authorises payments for e-businesses and online retailers.

Bangladesh Bank had taken the initiative to implement the e-Payment Gateway back in 2008.

According to a report, the system should be ready for deployment within the next six to eight months and is expected to be operational at the beginning of the next financial year.

“We collect payment manually from 300-400 clients every day. The system consumes huge time and money. Now we are ready to start online payment collection on a pilot basis. We were waiting for this to happen for quite long,” said Fahim Mashroor, chief executive officer of Bdjobs.com.

Shoeb Ahmed, former general secretary of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services, also appreciated the initiative.

He said, “Banks are probably ready for this. But stakeholders and government bodies should be prepared for online banking, otherwise it might not be utilised properly.”

Shoeb said they proposed that the government establish a central payment gateway.

Physical credit and debit card payments are available across the country. Banks need to introduce Application Programme Interface (API) to implement the online credit card payment system. API ensures secure payment on the internet by providing both credit card and PIN numbers.

All banks have been advised to remain alert to the misuse of online payment system for money laundering. They will have to report to the financial intelligence unit on whether any irregularity or crime has been committed in violation of the anti-money laundering act.

Digital ICT Fair begins Nov 7

http://www.newagebd.com/2009/oct/31/busi.html#5

Digital ICT Fair begins Nov 7
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha . Dhaka

The nine-day ‘Digital ICT Fair-2009’ will begin on November 7 at the Multiplan Centre at Elephant Road in the city.

Multiplan Centre Shop Owners Association is arranging the fair with the slogan ‘Let ICT be a Tool for Changing Days’.

Minister for information and cultural affairs Abul Kalam Azad will inaugurate the fair as the chief guest.

Adviser to the prime minister Syed Modasser Ali, state minister for science and ICT Yafez Osman, vice-chancellor of Dhaka University AAMS Arefin Siddique, vice-chancellor of BRAC University Jamilur Reza Chowdhury and FBCCI president Annisul Haque will be present as special guests.

According to the organisers, about 400 shops will be set up from the fourth floor to the tenth floor on an area of about one lakh square feet at the Multiplan Centre.

Brand new PC, cloned PC, LCD monitor, mouse, keyboard, CD, speaker, DVD, CD ROM drive, calling card, internet card, mouse pad, pen drive, memory card, printer and scanner will be available at the fair at a fair price, they said.

Besides computer products, mobile phone and its accessories, MP-3, MP-4 and digital camera will also be available at the show, they added.

Other features of the fair, they said, include painting competition for children, debate and SMS and quiz competitions for students, seminar, symposium, free online ticket booking and internet browsing.

The entrance fee has been fixed at Tk 10. However, school students can visit the fair without any fee, the organizers said.

Fiber@ Home, AB bank strike deal to expand optical fiber network

http://www.theindependent-bd.com/details.php?nid=147777

Fiber@ Home, AB bank strike deal to expand optical fiber network

Economic Reporter

An agreement was signed between the Fiber @ Home Limited and the AB Bank Limited at Hotel Sonargaon in order to expand the common transmission network on optical fiber on Wednesday last.

Managing director (MD) of Fiber @ home limited Moinul Huq Siddiqui and MD of AB Bank limited signed the agreement, said a press release issued by Abbas Faruque, Manager (PR) of Fiber @Home Ltd.

Under the agreement, the AB Bank Limited, Infrastructure Development Company (IDCOL), Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited, IDLC Finance Ltd and Saudi-Bangladesh Industrial and Agricultural Investment Company Limited (SABINCO) will invest a total of Tk 65 crore for the Fiber @ home Limited.

According to the release, Fiber @ home Limited will start to establish infrastructure of information technology at the grass root level with a view to make a digital Bangladesh. The first license of Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network (NTTN) was given to the Fiber @ Home Limited for building ‘Digital Bangladesh’ by 2021, which was committed by the new government led by Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina.

Providing NTTN license would definitely help expansion of telecommunication network across the country, the release said. With the completion of NTTN, rural people would be connected with telecommunication and internet network, and internet penetration would be increased to a greater extent.

Besides, it would remove overhead cable hazards in urban areas.

Densely populated cities of the country would be brought under the network within a short time and the facilities would reach at least 20 upazilas by the next one year and the company will set up and run optical fibre-based NTTN which will help telecom service providers to give service up to ‘end users’.

As per the NTTN guideline, a licensee requires to submit a bank guarantee as security deposit worth Tk 100 million in favour of the BTRC within 15 days of issuance of licence with minimum validity of five years, release added.