A seminar on modern telecommunications systems was held as part of the three-day First Non-Resident Bangladeshi Conference 2007 at Hotel Sheraton on December 28. Iqbal Z Quadir from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) gave a speech on "Effective Utilisation of the Submarine Cable and ‘to dos’ to Improve the IT Sector of Bangladesh". Vice chancellor of Brac University Dr Jamilur Reza Choudhury was the chair of the session. Professor of Shahjalal university o science and technology and writer Dr Muhammed Zafar Iqbal moderated the program.
The seminar mostly highlighted the effective use of submarine cable and regulatory strategies of modern wireless communication. Iqbal Z Quadir also put emphasis on issues such as cost minimization, creating competitive environment, attracting global investment, strengthening distribution network and integrating private stakeholders for sustainable infotech development in the country.
Dr Mahbub Haque, program director and chief scientist at Space and Terrestrial Communication Directorate of Department of Defense at Fort Monmouth in New Jersey of USA, talked about "Impact on Spectrum Optimisation Technologies on Regulatory Policies for Wireless Communication". He highlighted dynamic spectrum allocation tactics for effective wireless communication.
In his paper Dr Mahbub said, Policy should be technology oriented and regulatory policy board should always monitor global technological evolution. He called for maintaining quality to attract more foreign investors in the country’s information and communication technology (ICT) sector.
Ashraful Alam, member of Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB), told the seminar that the process of connecting to the second submarine cable is underway that will create redundancy to the existing one. He said, BTTB’s optical fibre network has already deployed in 29 districts and the existing capacity of SE-ME-WE-4 will gradually be upgraded to 90 GB without further investment.
Manzrul Alam, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication and Regulatory Commission (BTRC) said that BTRC has already asked the government to reduce bandwidth cost and that the request will be implemented soon. He hoped that BTRC would issue convergence license to operators by 2011 to ensure hassle-free communication.
He said BTRC is seriously considering the quality of service issues. It has already asked the cell-phone operators to concentrate on service rather on increasing subscriber base, adding that ICT and telecoms should work under the same umbrella in a bid to expedite the execution process and at the same time effectively monitor all the functions.
Manzrul Alam also pledged that he would extend all-out support to non-resident Bangladeshis so that they could start hi-tech businesses in the country.
In closing remarks, Dr Jamilur Reza Choudhury said the country needs an image-building strategy to boost the country’s image abroad. He urged the non-resident Bangladeshis to come forward and contribute more in this regard.