The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) has postponed the 5G project and ordered to strengthen 4G in a bid to ensure the country's forex reserves remain stable.
The decision came from a meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) held on Tuesday with its Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.
The premier joined the meeting virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence while ministers, state ministers, planning commission members and secretaries concerned attended the meeting from the NEC Conference Room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Planning Minister MA Mannan said the government approved a total of seven projects involving an overall estimated cost of Tk 2007.57 crore.
He said a Tk 236 crore project of Teletalk over commercial introduction of 5G services in Dhaka was also placed before the day's meeting, but it was not approved.
Mannan said the project has been postponed for the time being as part of the government's economic austerity measures amid the global crisis.
He mentioned the machinery and equipment under the projects were needed to be imported from abroad for which the project has been postponed for the time being.
The prime minister has instructed the authorities concerned that 4G services should have to be updated first in the country, then 5G services could be expanded further, he mentioned.
The minister said that the project was not cancelled, rather it can be implemented later.
The proposed project titled "Commercial Introduction of 5G technology in the Teletalk Network in Dhaka Metropolitan area" involving Taka 236.54 crore was designed to be implemented by December 2023.
The main project objectives include introducing 5G technology commercially, raising interest among the people over 5G technology, and encouraging other mobile phone operators to introduce 5G services.
However, out of the approved 7 projects, four are new while three are revised projects.
About the project for setting up Mymensingh divisional headquarters, the planning minister said the divisional commissioner in Mymensingh under the Ministry of Public Administration will implement the project with Tk 1,224.81 crore to be implemented by December 2024 with the entire government fund.
The main project operations include some 945.22 acres of land acquisition, 2.31 lakh cubic meters land development, construction of 4214 meter master drain, 14913 meters of border walls and guide walls, 22824 square meters of internal roads, 1,180 meters of embankments.
The planning minister said under the project for procurement of equipment and machinery from Belarus for selected municipalities and city corporations with Tk 150.62 crore, the government will purchase 81 wheel loaders, 24 backhoe loaders and 64 asphalt rollers for the selected municipalities and city corporations.
The other projects approved in the meeting are Rehabilitation of polders (67/A, 67, 67/B, and 68) along the Naf River under Teknaf and Ukhia upazilas to improve border security along Bangladesh-Myanmar frontier in Cox's Bazar district, 1st revised, with an additional cost of Tk 227.02 crore, Strengthening research operations of BINA with Tk 164.01 crore, Uttara Lake Development project, 1st revised with an additional cost of Tk 53.41 crore.
The other approved projects are Expansion and modernization of Dhaka central drug addiction healing center with Tk 162.34 crore, and Jail training center, Rajshahi, 1st revised with an additional cost of Tk 25.36 crore.