BCC partners with Summit, Fiber at Home for high-speed internet across 2,600 unions

The Bangladesh Computer Council has signed a contract with Summit Communications Ltd and Fiber at Home Ltd, under the public private partnership (PPP), to ensure high-speed internet service round the clock across 2,600 unions in the country.

Under the agreement, Summit Communications will conduct operation, maintenance, repair, upgradation, replacement and revenue sharing of high-speed internet infrastructure in 2,600 unions, and Fiber at Home will do the same in 1,307 unions, for the next 20 years.

Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) Executive Director Ranjit Kumar, Summit Communication Ltd Managing Director and CEO Md Arif Al Islam, and Fiber at Home Ltd Managing Director Brig Gen Md Rafiqur Rahman signed the agreement on behalf of their respective sides.

ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak, as the chief guest, attended the signing ceremony at the Bangladesh Computer Council auditorium in the capital's Agargaon on Monday.

Speaking as the chief guest, Palak said, "After determining the four pillars of Digital Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Advisor Sajeeb Wazed Joy took up the Info Sarkar-III project as the BTCL was not successful in establishing a network in 4,500 unions. With his advice, it was possible to establish this network in 2,600 unions instead of 1,000 unions at the same cost". 

The agreement aims to make the network sustainable through public and private partnership, he added.

The Info Sarkar-III project will strengthen all the four pillars of Smart Bangladesh, said the state minister, adding that the government has spent Tk1,200 crores on implementing this project, and 20,000km of fiber has been laid meanwhile.

In the PPP agreement, the uptime rate of the network has been made mandatory at 99.9% to ensure uninterrupted data and internet services in rural areas.

In January 2017, the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) under the ICT Division started the implementation of the project "Development of National Information and Communication Technology Infrastructure". 

The BCC will supervise overall sides of this agreement, and revenues will be received through the BCC from private partners.

ICT Division Additional Secretary Navid Shafiullah, Fiber at Home Chairman Moynul Haque Siddiqui, PPP Authority CEO Dr Md Mushfiqur Rahman and Info Sarkar Phase-III Project Director Pranab Kumar Saha were present at the signing ceremony with BCC Executive Director Ranjit Kumar in the chair.