Japan’s second largest telecom company KDDI has shown its interest to invest in Bangladesh’s 5G network, IOT, other digital technologies and special economic zones and connectivity sectors. The information was revealed when a two-member KDDI delegation led by its Global ICT Division General Manager Hiroyasu (Hiro) Morishita called on Posts and Telecommuni-cations Division Minister Mustafa Jabbar at his ministry office in the Secretariat in Dhaka yesterday, said a press release.
The minister said under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the telecom and digital technology sector of the country has become a thirst sector for the foreign investment in the last 11 years. Jabbar termed Japan as a true friend of Bangladesh and urged the Japanese entrepreneurs to invest here taking advantages of the prevailing investment friendly environment.
Earlier in 2018, the minister joined an IT week in Japan and urged the KDDI authority to invest in Bangladesh’s IT sector. Subsequently, the KDDI delegation is visiting Bangladesh for feasibility study in this regard. The KDDI delegation informed the minister that they will open an office in Dhaka soon and identify the sectors for investment. The other member of the KDDI delegation was Deputy Managing Director of its Singapore ICT Sales Department Takeshi Awa.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) will formulate a comprehensive policy on 5-G mobile network early next year. On August 4 this year, the BTRC formed a committee, led by its commissioner Aminul Hasan, to work out a plan and formulate a policy guideline to launch 5G service in coordination with representatives of the government, regulatory body and mobile operators.
BTRC officials said the committee will formulate a complete proposal and guideline with a 5G outline, spectrum price and possible spectrum, and fix the deadline for their implementation. Earlier, the 4G network was launched in the country in February last year.
Recently, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar said the government has a plan to introduce 5G network in Bangladesh within 2021-23 as per the election manifesto of the Awami League government. “We’re preparing to achieve the target.”
The fifth-generation of mobile internet connectivity promising much faster data download and upload speeds, wider coverage and more stable connections. It’s all about making better use of the radio spectrum and enabling far more devices to access the mobile internet at the same time.