Four seminars were held on the second day of the Bangladesh Digital Mela 2023. AMTOB, the organization of mobile operators, held a mobile congress for the first time today with these four seminars. Two seminars are held from 11 am to 1 pm. A second seminar on the telecommunication sector during disaster was held at Windy Town Hall on Friday from 11am to 1pm.
State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Affairs Dr. Enamur Rahman was present as the chief guest in the seminar. In his speech, he called for more coordination and use of technology in delivering early warning of disasters to the people and the administration.
Finally, he called upon the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications to formulate policies by identifying weaknesses in disaster management and coordinating with everyone.
In the seminar, the main article was presented by the Director General of Systems and Services of BTRC, Brigadier General Md. Nasim Parvez. Presenter of the main article shed light on several important tools for dealing with disasters. He said that emphasis should be given on VHF, HF radio, GRON, satellite phones, e-GSM in coastal areas and mapping of shelters which would help in dealing with major disasters.
He said that in order to deal with the disaster, coordination between the public-private and military sectors should be done to prepare for the disaster in advance and determine the potential damage in advance. Network infrastructure needs to be strengthened to ensure uninterrupted communication during disasters. For this, National Emergency Telecommunication System (NETS) should be established.
Yasir Azman, CEO of Grameenphone discussed the main speech, former Managing Director of BTCL. Md. Rafiqul Matin, Country Managing Director of E.co Bangladesh Ahmed Zubair Ali and Director of Signals Directorate of Army Headquarters Brigadier General Iqbal Ahmed.
In his speech, Grameenphone CEO emphasized on the establishment of sustainable telecommunication network, coordination between networks and research by using the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic. Highlighting the experience of Sunamganj flood, the former managing director of BTCL said that if proper communication can be done in all cases, it will be possible to keep the network operational even during the disaster.
The seminar was moderated by M Shahadat Hossain, co-founder and executive director of D-NET. BTRC Commissioner Sheikh Riaz Ahmed was the special guest at the seminar.