Present Status of Telecommunication in Bangladesh and its Impact on ...

Present Status of Telecommunication in Bangladesh and its Impact on ICT Shah Mostafa Khaled, Ashis Kumer Biswas†, Mohammad Abdul Qayum‡, M Lutfar Rahman* Lecturer, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, Eastern University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. † Department of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh. ‡ Lecturer, Department of Electrical & Electronic & Engineering, Eastern University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. * Professor, Department of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh. [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Abstract In this paper, different technologies of telecommunication, the status of Bangladesh in telecommunication, technical drawbacks the country has, and different initiatives taken by government and private sector to overcome the drawbacks have been discussed. The influence of telecommunication in ICT sector of Bangladesh has also been covered, and based on that study recommendations have been made regarding how telecommunication and ICT can be better integrated and enhanced to make Bangladesh a prosperous country. Keywords: Telecommunication, ICT, Teledensity, VSAT, Submarine Cable. I. INTRODUCTION Faster and low cost communication technologies are amongst the new challenging fields of ICT. In particular, for poor and underdeveloped countries cheap and efficient communication technologies are very important. Bangladesh, being an underdeveloped country, has also the necessity of modern communication to improve its economy.

B.

Digital Subscriber Line (DSL)

DSL is a copper-based broadband technology for the local loop that relies on the telephone network infrastructure to offer high-speed data. Data rates vary with versions of DSL and loop length. The international standard from ITU-T specifies a maximum speed for the most popular version, but in practice the top speed of 6.1 Mbps is only possible for loops up to 3 kms, going down to 1.5 Mbps for loops up to 5 kms. C.

Cable Modem

Cable Internet access is comparable in performance to DSL service. It relies on cable TV network that transmits TV and Internet data through coaxial cable. Unlike DSL, the cable modem performance does not depend on distance from the central office [2]. However, the connection speed will degrade as more users share the same channel. D.

Optical Fiber

Based on academic studies [1, 3, 11] and government policy reports [13, 17], this paper presents a brief study on the telecommunication facilities available in Bangladesh. Section 2 of this paper presents a review on telecommunication technologies in relevance to Bangladesh context. Section 3, 4 and 5 presents the status of telecommunication in Bangladesh and its relevance to ICT. Section 6 presents some drawbacks of this sector and steps taken to overcome these drawbacks. In section 7 some recommendations for flourishing telecommunication in Bangladesh are given. II. REVIEW OF TELECOMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES There are numerous technologies for telecommunication including wired and wireless access technologies, as well as VSAT satellite-based technology. An overview of each system is presented in Table 1.

An optical fiber is a thin, transparent fiber, usually made of glass or plastic, for transmitting light. Fiber optics is the branch of applied science and engineering concerned with such optical fibers. Optical fibers are commonly used in telecommunication systems, as well as in illumination, sensors, and imaging optics. Using Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM), the bandwidth carried by a single fiber can be increased into the range of terabits per second. This is accomplished by transmitting many wavelengths at once on the fiber. Wavelength division multiplexers and demultiplexers are used to combine and split up the wavelengths at each end of the link. In coarse WDM (CWDM) only a few wavelengths are used. One use of CWDM is to allow bidirectional communications over one fiber. Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) usually involves transmitting and receiving more than eight "windows" of light. Sixteen, 40, and 80 windowed systems are common. Mathematically, 111 windows are possible over a single pair of optical fibers at the wavelengths used today.

A.

E.

Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS)

POTS refers to the standard telephone service to provide basic telephony. POTS connects end users to PSTN through copper wires. To connect to the Internet, a user at home uses a telephone line, with a PC and a modem, and dials an ISP. Its popularity stems from the very simple connection. However, many far-flung areas lack POTS since the maximum length of copper wire that allows good quality of service is typically less than 3 miles from the PSTN.

corDECT WLL: Wireless Local Loop System

corDECT stands for wireless local loop based on Digital European Cordless Telephone standard. This system is implemented in India introduced by the Indian Institute of Technology at Madras [4]. The system is composed of base station, a repeater station and subscriber units at

9th International Conference on Computer & Information Technology, 2006 Organized by: Independent University, Bangladesh

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Table 1: Telecommunication Technologies Technology

Equipment

Typical Speed

Costs

POTS

Modem

$25

Uplink 9-56 Kbps

DSL

DSL Modem

$160-200

256-384bps

Coverage Distance

Broad band

Always on

Voice & Data

Downlink 9-56 Kbps

3-5 kilometers

0.64-1.54bps

3-5 kilometers

√

√

√

√

√

VoIP

√

√

√

√

√

√

CATV

Cable Modem

$120-160

256-500bps

0.2-1 Mbps

Depends on cable company

Optical Fiber

Fiber strands

At least $10,000/mi

1 Gbps

1Gbps

60 kilometers or more w/ repeater

corDECT

Base station, Repeater station, Subscriber unit

35-70 Kbps

35-70 Kbps

30 kilometers + w/repeater

100 Mbps

155 Mbps

3-5 kilometers

√

√

VoIP

128 – 256 bps

1-2 Mbps

25 kilometers

√

√

√

√

√

VoIP

√

√

LMDS

MMDS

$40,000 $4,500 $200-300

Base Station

$250,000

Subscriber unit

$2500

Base Station

$250,000

Subscriber unit

$500-700

802.11b

NIC

$100

1-11Mbps

1-11Mbps

Satellite

VSAT disk Monthly fee

$10,000

40-128 Kbps

150-400 Kbps

the receiving end. The subscriber units provide Internet access at 35-70 kbps. F.

Multipoint Multi-channel Distribution Systems (MMDS)

MMDS is used to offer broadband Internet access and voice communication to residential and small business customers in some parts of the U.S.A. Despite its expensive base station, MMDS offers non line-of-sight plug-and-play broadband wireless access system. According to vendor documentation [5], the connection speed that a subscriber varies according to the bandwidth allocated. The system has a maximum coverage distance of 25 kms non line-of-sight. G. Local Multipoint Distribution Systems (LMDS)

LMDS provides high capacity point-to-point and pointto-multipoint fixed wireless connections delivering voice and data services. Customer must be within 2 miles from the base station and must have a direct lineof-sight. LMDS is not much used in the current market due to its expensive customer premise equipment. Its difficult installation limits its applicability only to larger enterprises [6]. H.

Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT)

In areas where wired communication is unavailable, or where the population is so dispersed that the construction of many towers and base stations makes other wireless solutions expensive, then the VSAT system is a viable option. Currently, VSAT solutions are increasingly being recognized as the most cost-effective and efficient means of providing ICT connections in the areas where little or no terrestrial infrastructure is available.

90 meters indoors 300 meters outdoors Can be located any where

There are about 120 operators consisting mostly of foreign organizations such as gas companies, embassies and financial institutions and some Internet service providers [7]. These users are linked to Internet hubs located in Singapore or Hong Kong via these links. The Bangladesh Telecom Regulatory Commission (BTRC) is contemplating legalizing the use of Voice Over IP on these lines as a way to further alleviate the existing acute voice channel log-jam. I.

Wireless LAN 802.11b

802.11b is the most common wireless LAN platform. It operates in 2.4 GHz unlicensed band. Theoretical data rate is up to 11 Mbps, shared by up to 60 users per access point. These data rates depend on the distance from the access point. Maximum possible distance from access point is 90 m indoor and 300 m outdoor [8]. In Bangladesh, popular mobile phone companies like GrameenPhone, Aktel, Citycell, Banglalink uses this type of technology. J.

Emerging Technologies 802.16 and 802.20

802.16 and 802.20 standards are specified mobile air interfaces for wireless broadband. 802.16 is normally specified to operate over a 50kms radius and support channels ranging up to the tens of megabits (e.g., 70 Mbps). It is an upcoming serious contender as a wireless alternative to DSL, cable modem, leased lines and other broadband network access technologies. 802.20's technical goal is to optimize IP-based data support vehicular mobility up to 250 km/hr [9]. Figure 1 compares data rate and coverage range of various last-mile access technologies [1]. It is obvious from the figure that, in terms of coverage range, only four telecommunication technologies have high potential for deployment in remote areas. These are optical fiber,


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2003 it is 0.55. The increase is only 0.29, which is the lowest in the South-Asia. Among the South Asian countries, the increase in teledensity is rapid in India that is 3.08 [12]. Table 2: Teledensity of some selected country in 1997 and in 2003. Country

Fig. 1: Technology comparison

0.26

0.55

0.29

India

1.55

4.63

3.08

Pakistan

1.77

2.66

0.89

Nepal

0.53

1.57

1.04

A.

In order to measure the progress and outcome of the ICT-related initiatives, International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has devised an index to rank the countries in respect of ICT capacity. The index, known as Digital Access Index (DAI), is prepared based on the infrastructure, affordability of access, knowledge and quality of ICT services and Internet user penetration of a country. The Digital Access Index is a vital reference to assess national conditions in Information and Communication Technology and overcome the digital divides particularly in developing countries. [12]

Increase in Teledensity between 1997-2003

Bangladesh

MMDS, corDECT WLL and VSAT satellite-based technology. III. PRESENT STATUS OF TELECOMMUNICATION IN BANGLADESH

Fig. 2: Digital Access index of some selected countries.

Teledensity Teledensity in in 1997 2003

Bhutan

1.01

3.56

2.55

Srilanka

1.39

4.427

3.04

Malaysia

17.81

18.16

0.35

Japan

48.88

55.579

6.7

U.K.

52.23

58.743

6.51

Telephone lines

In Bangladesh there were three telephone main lines per 1,000 people (644 in U.S.A.), with US$634 revenue per line in 1997. The average subscriber spends 81 outgoing minutes (134 in U.S.A.), with undetermined price per minute in 1997 [11]. In 1999, there were over 4 million telephone subscribers [10].

Fig. 3: Growth of Teledensity in Bangladesh.

As per ITU report published in 2003, Sweden is at the top of DAI rank among 178 countries with point 0.85 and the Republic of Korea is 4th in the DAI. The position of Bangladesh is 138th in the DAI rank as shown in Figure 2. Figure 3 presents the growth of telecommunication in Bangladesh. [14]. Table 2 shows the teledensity of some selected country in 1997 and in 2003. It is clear that amongst these countries the teledensity increased rapidly in Japan. Again, the increase is very low in the case of Bangladesh. In 1997 the teledensity of Bangladesh was 0.26 and in

Fig. 4: Map of the existing fiber-optic network in Bangladesh B.

Mobile and cellular system

According to the World Fact Book, in Bangladesh there were no mobile phones, fax machines, and personal computers per 1,000 people in 1997. However, the cellular age was in its infancy. Table 3 presents the network status and technologies used by different mobile companies of Bangladesh.


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Table 3: Network status and technologies used by different mobile companies in Bangladesh. Cellular companies in Bangladesh TM Int'l (Bangladesh) Ltd Sheba Telecom (PVT) Ltd-Mobile 2000 GrameenPhone Ltd

C.

Network Type GSM 900 GSM 900 GSM 900

Network Status Live August 1997 Live September 1998 Live April 1997

Handset Code

Network Code

n/a

n/a

M2K

470 19

BGD GP

470 01

Wide area networking

Telecommunication networks in Bangladesh are being modernized. Data Networks (LAN, MAN, WAN) are emerging. Digital switches capable for services like ISDN are being installed all over the country. Various public/private organizations have or are in the process of installing LAN in their branches, scattered throughout the country. When private providers become fully operational, organizations will be able to interconnect their sites. Various organizations are in need of such interconnectivity. Very low bandwidth connections are being provided now. But the infrastructure that is being laid down will enable ISPs to provide high bandwidth connectivity as demand grows. Some ISPs have been assigned spread spectrum radio frequency band in the range of 2 GHz for point-to-point wireless communication between computers [11].

In addition, there is a plan to connect Dhaka to Sylhet and Dhaka to Khulna on the optical fiber network. These are presented in Figure 4. Moreover, to cater for the increasing international traffic, Bangladesh has joined the SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable network consortium. The 10 Gbps bandwidth of this network is expected to serve Bangladesh’s needs for the next 10 years and significantly reduce costs of international calls. This link, costing approximately US$60 million [3] will use Chittagong as the landing station. IV. ICT SCENARIO IN BANGLADESH Access to the information is exclusively dependent on the combination of telecommunication infrastructure, the availability and affordability of user-end equipment and tariff of the service. Personal computer with telephone dial-in facility is still the dominant access method to Internet, although broadband is gradually spreading. Mobile communications provide digital access. The progress in all these facilities in Bangladesh is encouraging. The growth picture for three years [12] can be seen in the Table 4. Table 4: Growth of Computer and Network Usage in Bangladesh

D. Satellite and microwave network

Relying primarily upon the IO-Inmarsat synchronous orbit satellites located above the Indian Ocean, the geostationary satellite/terrestrial microwave link network in Bangladesh, is solely used for international telecommunication which consists of four ground stations: the first two are standard "A" stations located in Betbunia and in Mohakhali; the third one is a standard "B" station at Talibabad; the fourth one, of standard "F", is in Sylhet. The microwave links carry the intra-country portion of the traffic. In addition to these, there are two more international terrestrial links: the first is the microwave link from Chuadanga near Kushtia to Krishnanagar in India while the second is an UHF link from Attari near Dinajpur to Bhadrapur in Nepal. E.

Optical fiber network

Establishment of fiber optic links in Bangladesh began in 1986. Starting with the optical fiber link between Dhaka’s Maghbazar and Gulshan telephone exchanges, all intra-city inter-exchange connections are now established through short distance fiber optic links. The intercity portions between the major cities started with the completion of the STM-16 fiber link between Dhaka to Chittagong in 2001 [1]. Bogra to Joypurhat to Ragpur and Dinajpur in the north west of Bangladesh is already connected by STM-4 optical link while Dhaka to Bogra optical fiber link via the Jamuna Bridge is under construction.

ICT infrastructure Number of PC PC Growth

2001 250,000 25%

2002 450,000 80%

2003 1,050,000 133%

Internet users (estimated)

186,000

2,04,000

2,43,000

5,20,000

10,75,000

13,65,000

86% 565

106% 682

27% 742

20%

21%

9%

Cell phone subscriber Cell phone growth Fixed phones Fixed phone growth

In line with the growth of computing and network usage, and the Declaration of Principle and the Plan of Action adopted in the Geneva Summit on Information Society, Bangladesh has undertaken various programs/projects in both private and public sectors. Among the initiatives, most important are stated below: A.

Policy formulation

To promote the ICT activities in the country, Government has considered ICT as the thrust sector. A highpowered IT Taskforce, headed by the Prime Minister provides policy directions. National ICT Policy [13] has been formulated to promote ICT. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission founded to regulate multi-operator environment. IT Law (Act) has been formulated to promote e-commerce. B.

ICT infrastructure

Both private and public sector providers are expanding their network by implementing various development projects to increase the teledensity for mobile and fixed phone. In doing so they also expand their transmission network by fiber optic technology. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has been functioning to regulate the activities of Telecom-


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munication and Internet Service Providers. The result of these initiatives is the increase of fixed line teledensity from 0.47 to 0.62 in the last three years and mobile teledensity at this moment is just over 1.0 (with PSTN connectivity). [14] To further increase the teledensity, a good number of PSTN licenses have been issued by BTRC. Some of the operators have already started providing services. In order to connect Bangladesh with the Information Super Highway, Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) has joined the SEA-ME-WE-4 consortium to lay the submarine cable. The Ministry of Science, Information and Communication Technology has established an ICT incubator at Dhaka and has taken a project to establish an ICT Park at Kaliakoir, Gazipur to boost up the country’s ICT activities. BTTB has undertaken a program to bring all the Upazila under digital telephone network. About 172 Upazilas have already been brought under digital telephone network [15]. The whole country has been brought under Internet services through BTTB. Internet access ports have been distributed over 39 districts to provide more access from all the 64 districts and upazilas. The Digital Data Network (DDN) has recently been expanded to 41 districts (71 nodes at 71 places). This network provides point-topoint high-speed data line between any two nodes and dedicated broadband Internet service to corporate organizations at 71 places [16]. Government as well as private operators has reduced the call rates for voice service and usage charge of Internet services. The installation charge for telephone particularly in the rural and sub-urban areas has been reduced and ICT-friendly taxation measures have been taken by the government with a view to contribute positive impact on enhancing the ICT capabilities of the country. V. DRAWBACKS AND INITIATIVES In the National Telecommunication Policy of 1998 [17], the Government of Bangladesh recognized that the telecommunications facilities in the country are far from adequate. The government realized that remedial measures are necessary to address the very low penetration and inefficiencies caused by outdated systems and technologies and the consequences of low investments in general. The policy report recognized few problems and proposed some solutions as discussed below. A.

Low penetration

There are three fixed line telephones per 1,000 people in the country and 3.5 lines per 1,000 if cellular systems are included. Against this statistics, India with a comparable per-capita income has 13 phones per 1,000 people. To solve this low penetration problem, the Government has issued six licenses to private operators during the last 10 years. In addition, the Government has recently floated an international tender for a 300,000 fixed-line license to operate in the Dhaka area. B.

Skewed distribution

Virtually all phones in Bangladesh are in urban areas. Nearly two thirds of all phones in Bangladesh are in the Dhaka area. [15] To remedy this situation, the Government has made “universal access” one of its policy objectives and encouraged private operators to provide services in the rural areas. Two licenses have been issued to private operators, one covering the northern part of the country and the other the southern part. In addition, the four cellular operators in Bangladesh have been given nationwide licenses. C.

Tariff

The local tariff of the fixed operator is heavily subsidized. According to consultants of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, it costs Bangladesh Telegraph & Telephone Board (BTTB) Tk l.59 for each minute of local call whereas BTTB charges Tk 1.70 per local call. To compensate for the subsidies, long distance and international call charges are very high in Bangladesh compared to other countries. In the cellular sector, due to stiff competition among the four operators, the tariff is rather low. The airtime charges for cellular operators in Bangladesh are among the lowest in the world. D.

Interconnection

While the Government rightly issued three cellular licenses in order to quickly address the low penetration problem, the new call traffic generated by the cellular operators has created serious interconnection problems with the fixed network. The fixed network is simply not sufficiently equipped to absorb the additional traffic. As a temporary measure against the flood of calls originating from BTTB and into mobile networks, private operators have imposed incoming charges. Some have taken a step further by offering services with no connections to the BTTB network at all. To alleviate the congestion problems at the interconnection points, additional equipment needs to be installed on the fixed. E.

Transmission capacity

Transmission networks in Bangladesh are of low capacity. Even between Dhaka and Chittagong, the country’s two biggest cities with 15 million people, BTTB has an analog microwave link with limited capacity. In devising a solution to overcome congestion over long distances, GrameenPhone has built a nationwide network with continuous cell-to-cell connections. A fiber-optic network leased from the Bangladesh Railway, which has been repaired and upgraded by GrameenPhone, provides the cell-to-cell connections outside the major cities. VI. RECOMMENDATIONS Telecommunication requirements (including Internet) of the developing nations like Bangladesh are quite different from those of a developed nation. In this regard, the following recommendations are made which should be addressed immediately. 1. Special projects should be taken in the Annual Development Program with adequate allotment of fund to expand telecommunication facilities. It should be


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kept in mind that telecommunication/ICT infrastructure is viewed as a key ingredient for the development of most other economic sectors. 2. The villagers need voice connectivity for private use with normal PSTN tariff as enjoyed by city dwellers. Overhead for cellular mobile communication equipment becomes a heavy burden, as they are mostly immobile. Providing PSTN type connectivity should be the topmost priority. 3. Value Added Services like SMS, mail over PSTN and user equipment will be useful and a stepping-stone towards adaptation of Internet use. SMS must be capable of communicating in regional language. 4. Small, low cost end user equipment needs to be developed, based on simple hybrid technology, for above value added services. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) may lead in developing standards. For example, there may be a common hardware including telephone type keyboard, over which any regional language key operation can be downloaded or configured. 5. Optical fiber backbone with SDH ring architecture covering all upazillas are highly recommended. DWDM over FO backbone will be essential for Dhaka to CoxBazar (SMW-4) link. For high density population the implementation cost will be low. 6. The backbone should have voice and data channels in parallel up to the telephone exchange building, nearest to a user in a village. The user will use circuit switched last mile connection for private use both for data and voice communication. As the exchanges are non-blocking, voice networks will never be occupied for data services. 7. As data is transmitted in a shared media, cost is obviously low. The user in a village must enjoy the privilege of low cost shared data communication channels. 8. The last mile connectivity may be wireless, for quick deployment, lower cost, remote locations and for difficult terrains. WLL based on CDMA-01x [1] is a good choice. But wired connectivity always saves wireless bandwidth that is costly. Hence last mile solution of entire country with high population density should not be only on wireless if a high teledensity is to be achieved. Wire line should grow gradually using direct exchange link (DEL) or using other technology. 9. Internet should penetrate in in public places through Kiosks. For this purpose leased line connectivity is a better choice. For quick deployment, link may be wireless. Wi Fi is a good choice for the last mile. [1] 10. For sustainability and strategic planning of ICTs, Government is to take initiative for stronger public and private partnership. 11. Multipurpose tele-centers can be set up to rural areas for Internet training, IP telephony, providing Telemedicine. Major ISPs can provide training to nontechnical peoples in sub-urban and rural areas.

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