The government is undertaking a Tk 1,059 crore project to develop an optical fibre transmission network with a view to building 5G infrastructure all over Bangladesh.

It aims to raise the data transmission speed to 100 gigabits per second (Gbps) at upazila levels, according to a project proposal of the planning ministry.

The project, which will be implemented by state-owned Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Ltd (BTCL) by December 2024, will be placed at the meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council today.

"We have already launched 5G in some places and want to introduce it nationwide soon," Mustafa Jabbar, telecoms minister, told The Daily Star.

The move came after state-run mobile phone operator Teletalk launched the fifth-generation technology, or 5G, in December on a limited scale in six places.

The locations are the Prime Minister's Office, Parliament, Secretariat, Bangabandhu Museum on Dhanmondi 32, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birthplace Tungipara in Gopalganj, and the National Martyrs' Memorial in Savar.

The superfast mobile service can deliver a peak data rate of up to 20 Gbps and can connect virtually everyone and everything, including machines, objects, and devices.

"There is no doubt that it's an era of data, and data is a highway through which everything will be run, including machines and people," Jabbar said.

"I think the industry will soon start using 5G for Internet of Things, robotics and artificial intelligence. 5G will be needed hugely in economic zones and hi-tech parks as well."

The world has entered into the 4th Industrial Revolution and Bangladesh doesn't want to miss it, according to the minister.

The project will improve and expand BTCL's optical fibre transmission network to provide uninterrupted telecommunication and modern broadband internet facilities, said Md Rafiqul Matin, managing director of the company.

"Demand for internet is increasing day by day, and it will help us meet the growing consumption."

Bandwidth sold by BTCL has risen to 475 gigabytes per second from 137 GBPS in 2019, according to Matin.

The fund of the project will be used to procure and install telecommunication and electrical equipment and establish 146 underground optical fibre cable links with a combined length of 3,144 kilometres.

One Jeep, two double cabin pickups and 20 motorcycles will also be bought, said the proposal.