BTCL 5G Project Awaits Elected Government’s Decision

The interim government has completed the equipment evaluation process of Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL)’s 5G Readiness (DWDM) project, leaving the final decision to the elected government based on the outcome of on-site testing reports.

The clarification came on Wednesday from Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb following recent controversy surrounding the project.

Expert Committee Evaluated Equipment

Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb said officials of BTCL were unable to travel abroad for the Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) because the interim government had imposed a strict ban on foreign trips funded by vendors.

As an alternative permitted under the tender specifications, a high-level equipment evaluation committee was formed comprising three professors from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, one professor from University of Dhaka, and other leading telecommunications transmission experts.

Based on the committee’s recommendations and evaluation reports, permission was granted to ship the equipment to Bangladesh for on-site testing.

He also rejected allegations raised by a section of critics, stating that funds originally allocated by the vendor for the FAT process had been ordered to be returned to the state treasury. A future elected government, he added, would remain free to utilize those funds for a fresh factory inspection if deemed necessary.

Tender Process Predated Interim Government

Providing background on the project, Faiz noted that the approximately Tk 300 crore tender had been evaluated and awarded, and an irrevocable letter of credit (LC) had already been opened during the tenure of the previous Awami League government.

According to him, Huawei emerged as the lowest bidder (L1) in the international tender process. ZTE submitted a bid roughly Tk 90 crore higher, while Nokia offered a proposal nearly Tk 200 crore higher.

He said Huawei’s OSN 9800 transmission platform is widely regarded as one of the industry’s leading technologies and is already used by major private telecom operators in Bangladesh.

Re-Tendering Could Double Costs

Explaining why the project was not re-tendered, Faiz argued that when the original bids were submitted, the US dollar exchange rate was around Tk 82. Even then, the highest bid exceeded Tk 500 crore.

Given current market conditions, he said, re-tendering could have significantly increased project costs and imposed a substantial financial burden on the state.

He added that university experts had confirmed the technical suitability and quality of the equipment, while the previously issued LC and the need to complete related infrastructure projects also supported continuation of the process.

According to him, a separate BTCL IP project worth Tk 270 crore remains underutilized due to connectivity limitations. He further noted that despite operating the country’s largest underground fiber-optic network, BTCL’s market share has declined to around 20 percent.

Response to Allegations

Addressing allegations regarding personal benefit and a recent visit to China, Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb firmly denied receiving any financial benefit or bribe in relation to the project or any other matter.

He said his China visit was undertaken at the invitation of a Chinese association involved in infrastructure development, technology transfer, and investment activities in Bangladesh. During the trip, he attended technical sessions and training programs at Peking University and China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), focusing on city automation, artificial intelligence, satellite technology, and ICT planning.

He maintained that the experience contributed to ongoing ICT sector reforms and future policy planning.

Criticism of Attempts to Influence Tender

Faiz further alleged that attempts had previously been made to award the project to ZTE despite its higher bid. He claimed that such efforts were ultimately rejected by the government procurement committee.

He also alleged that efforts had been made by interested parties to push for a re-tendering process in pursuit of commercial interests.

Concluding his remarks, Faiz emphasized that he had no direct role in the tender process and that no financial disbursement or fund approval had taken place during his tenure. He also criticized what he described as unnecessary harassment of university professors and government officials involved in the project’s technical evaluation.

//DBTech/MAR/EK/OR//