5G to be launched commercially in March: telecom minister

Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Mostafa Jabbar has informed that crossing the hurdles of 324 years of backwardness, Bangladesh has entered into the era of 5G. 5G will be launched commercially in the country by next March. And the 5G is the must for the use of technology in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. So even though 5G has already been launched on a trial basis, it will be launched commercially in next March. The minister made the remarks while addressing a discussion on Access to Meaningful Connectivity and Social Inclusion organized by Bangladesh Internet Governance Forum (BIGF) at a hotel in Dhaka on Wednesday. Nasim Parvez, Managing Director of BTRC, Dr. Rafiqul Matin, Managing Director of BTCL, Regional Director of South Asia Article 19 Farooq Faisal, BNNRC Research Fellow AHM Bazlur Rahman, BIGF Secretary General Abdul Haq Anu, Journalist Rashed Mehdi spoke on the occasion. Hasanul Haque Inu, Chairman, Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and President BIGF presided over the function. The Minister for Posts and Telecommunications said that the threat to digital security needs to be tackled with awareness and technology, adding that the more we go digital, the greater the security risk is. By tackling these risks, the digital industrial revolution has set an example to the world in meeting the challenges of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Minister further said that the purpose of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and our purpose is not the same. Leader of the people Sheikh Hasina announced the Digital Bangladesh program in 2008. Eight years later, in 2016, the concept of the Fourth Industrial Revolution was announced. Highlighting the various programs taken by the government to resolve the digital divide in the country, Mostafa Jabbar, a pioneer in the development of digital technology, said that one-country-one-rate internet is a revolution in the country. No citizen living in a remote-areas can be deprived of internet rights, and there would not be a separate rate acceptable for a remote area. To this end, we have brought high speed broadband internet connection to the doorsteps of almost every person in the country. 4G network facility has been ensured in 97% areas of the country amid COVID19 pandemic. Speaking on the occasion, Hasanul Haque Inu said that Bangladesh entered the era of the third industrial revolution with the continuation of the digital program of 2008. This was followed by an opportunity for Bangladesh to join the development highway. He said digital technology is an essential part of economic progress. He emphasized the need to establish the Internet as a fundamental right in the constitution.