Teletalk plans to set up 2,500 base stations for 5G services

State-run telecom operator Teletalk Bangladesh has a massive plan of setting up 2,500 base stations for providing uninterrupted fifth-generation (5G) network services across the country, its top official has said.

"We are working to widen our 5G services. Keeping the importance of the new generation network in mind, we designed a plan to establish 2,500 base stations," Md Shahab Uddin, managing director of the company, told this at a programme at its headquarters in the capital on Wednesday.

At the event, the first 5G launching operator inked a deal with Summit Towers Limited, under which the mobile phone operator will be able to use the telecom towers, set up by Summit, for its base stations.

A base station is referred to a transmission and reception station in a fixed location, consisting of one or more receiving or transmitting antennas, microwave dishes, and electronic circuitry, to handle cellular traffic.

Summit has, currently, some 700 towers in 56 districts. After receiving a licence from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), the sister concern of Summit Communications has been developing telecom tower infrastructure across the country.

Apart from Summit, three more companies – edotco Bangladesh, ISON Tower Bangladesh Private Limited, and AB Hightech Consortium – are providing such services to the telecom operators.

Meanwhile, on December 12 last year, Teletalk, in collaboration with global tech giant Huawei, launched 5G on an experimental basis in six areas in the country – the Prime Minister's Office, Parliament, Secretariat, Bangabandhu Museum on Dhanmondi 32, Gopalganj's Tungipara, and the National Martyrs' Memorial in Savar.  The network will be rolled out at the district level in phases.

Currently, the mobile phone operator has a network coverage (4G and 3G) at 402 upazilas in 64 districts.  

Summit Communications Chairman Md Farid Uddin Khan, its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Md Arif Al Islam, senior officials of Teletalk were present, at Wednesday's event.