Tell of telecom
Tell of
Telecom
Since the inception of Bangladesh, the nationwide telecommunications
services were deficient in both quality and quantity. Bangladesh had a ratio
of less than 1 telephone per 1000 people, one of the lowest telephone
densities in the world.
Despite Bangladesh having an immensely promising telecom market – it seemed
to be continually waiting to happen till this millennium. The BTTB
(Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board), the pioneer in the telecom
sector in the country with land phone, PSTN (Public Switched Tel
Network) was the lone operator. The BTTB was created in 1972. The inherited
& age old analogue system of telephone exchange continued for many years.
Most district towns had access to an alternative system for urgent
communications, in the form of a UHF or VHF radio system or radio relay
network. With the introduction of satellite connections in the post
independence decade, through facilities at Betbunia and Talibabad
earth-satellite stations were mile-stones in the sector. Bangladesh planned
to improve its telecommunications during the Third Five-year plan (1985-90)
by the installation of a digital radio relay network, automation of
telephone exchanges and installation of a mobile telephone network in Dhaka
and there after gradual induction of digital exchanges across the country,
the nationwide and international telecom services started to improve.