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Fiber optic cable gets emergency status


Published : 05 May 2019 08:45 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 06:09 PM

The government is going to provide national emergency status to the fiber optic cables used to provide internet connection across the country. With an aim to ensure uninterrupted internet connection across the country, work is going on to formulate a policy to announce fiber optic cables as a component of national emergency service.

The government took the initiative following repeated complaints made by different internet and mobile service providers that their fiber optic cables are cut off by various state-owned agencies numerous times on different excuses, hindering smooth internet connection of a certain area. After repeatedly being urged for protection, the government finally initiated to formulate a policy to protect the country’s 1,10,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables.

Local Government Engineering Department in assistance with Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) formulating the new policy providing emergency status to fiber optic cables. According to draft of the policy, local government ministry will form a committee and without their concern, no one would be allowed to dig roads in the name of development.

The country’s different internet providing organisations including ISPs, Nationwide Telecommunication Transmission Network (NTTN) and mobile operators have been claiming since long that their cables are cut by different public service provider like WASA and DPDC on silly excuses. A senior official of a top ISP said sometimes a single cable in the capital city is cut over 50 times in a year. The scenario is more horrific outside the capital all across the country where, according to the claims of ISPs and NTTNs, a fiber optic cable is at times cut more than 100 times.

Mentionable, a fiber optic cable is a long-distance network telecommunications cable made from strands of glass fibers that uses pulses of light to transfer data. A BTRC official who is also member of the committee said, “In the name of development, different public service providers frequently cut the fiber cables while digging earth to set up or repair water or sewerage lines.

“For this, telecommunication services are interrupted incurring huge losses to ISPs and NTTNs,” he added. “For such development work when fiber optic cable connection lost, which is being obstructing IT and telecommunication services, as a result mobile operators and related organization having blame,” he added. Last year, in a Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) meeting presided over by the Prime Minister ICT advisor Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the decision was made to formulate policy after announcing the fiber optic cable as a component of the national emergency service.