The fourth industrial revolution will change the whole ecosystem in Bangladesh, especially in the industrial and services sectors, said Mustafa Jabbar, telecom and ICT minister, yesterday.

“The county needs to match the global digital devolvement as everyone's business model will change,” he said at a programme at the Best Western La Vinci Hotel in Dhaka.

The Telecom Reporters' Network, Bangladesh (TRNB) organised the roundtable styled “Transmission Network for Digital Services: Present and Future”. Senior executives from the telecom regulator, mobile phone operators, broadband service providers and network operators took part in the event. Jabbar asked all stakeholders to get ready to embrace the evolution and especially called upon the mobile operators and network providers to introduce fifth-generation (5G) mobile services in 2021.

“Those who have not started their preparation for the 5G service yet, they [mobile operators] should know that the government is determined to introduce it in 2021 as per the election manifesto.”

The minister also advised the mobile operators and other operators to formulate new business plans in line with the technological changes.

“5G will not bring massive changes to individual users; rather it will transform industrial segments,” he said.

The minister also directed broadband operators to offer internet service across the country at the same price.

He asked nationwide telecommunication transmission companies (NTTNs) and internet service providers to abstain from playing blame game and solve problems through talks.

“We have to ensure 'One Country, One Rate' for internet. If required, the government will give subsidies.”

BTRC Chairman Md Jahurul Haque said they want operators to do good business, but they should offer good services to customers first.

According to a presentation by Samir Kumar Dey, general secretary of the TRNB, NTTN firm Fiber@Home has laid 42,441 kilometres of optical fibre cables across the country and Summit Communications of 42,145km while state-run Bangladesh Railway of 2,500km and the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh of 5,773km.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Company Ltd also has optical fibre cables.

The service quality of the mobile phone operators depends on the quality of services provided by the NTTN operators.

Banglalink has laid 3,000km of fibre cable, Grameenphone 2,745km, and Robi 1,033km.