Infrastructure for much needed strong second industry
It looks like we are seeing the very first signs of benefits that the submarine cable can bring to Bangladesh. Singapore’s SingTel in collaboration with our local Advance Data Networks System Limited (ADNSL) launched “ConnectPlus” earlier this week that is capable of providing a scalable integrated communications solution over a single, privately managed network, commonly known as VPN or virtual private network. In layman’s term – if you have internet connection, VPN let’s you connect to another computer or network anywhere in the globe and work on it securely as if you are in the same building where the computer computer/network is physically located.
This is BIG news for the folks that are already working on or trying to attract offshore IT jobs or backend BPO (business process outsourcing) jobs in Bangladesh. VPN is a standard way many companies in the US and Europe are carrying on operations with their offshore vendors in India, Philippines and other offshore destinations especially work that are real-time in nature and deals with protected/secured information. Along with other issues like shortage of trained/experienced managers to work with clients abroad, lack of government incentives, adverse political condition, IT infrastructure is where we have been lacking compared to other hot IT offshore destinations and VPN is a going to be a very important strengthening element of that infrastructure. I think IT offshore work and back-end BPO can really be that much needed strong second industry to textile that our economy is so depended on and narrowly focused on. Unfortunately, the people in politics that are responsible for taking the country forward and assure better lives for every citizen remains tied up in a dog and pony show as usual.
December 20th, 2006 at 9:05 am
Rehan, this is great news indeed. I wonder if you or someone can provide more information why we are not yet seeing the more direct impact on the software industry after the recent upgrade to submarin cable. Should we not have connection as good as here?
December 20th, 2006 at 11:03 am
Due to family reasons here, I was unable to make trips back to BD that I used to take at least once or twice a year since late 2004 so I am somewhat behind in firsthand knowledge. I will be making a trip early next year (yeahh!!!) and hope to write more about it after the trip though I would like to hear more from others perhaps on the very good question that you raised.
My guess would be that things are just moving slow due to “lal fitar douratto” - don’t forget submarine cable falls under the authority of state-run BTTB (or is it provatized now?).
Remember when BD had their chance of getting an entry ramp into the info super highway couple of years ago they backed off due to poor or maybe lack of decision making by the authority — later to realize the mistake and getting back to it and almost missing it?
February 18th, 2007 at 10:37 am
well our Main problem is BTTB is the member of
Consortium and In Govt level there is no any other company in Bangladesh who does have proper Telecom Infrastructure. so Cable which
has landed in Bay of Bengal does not have that amount of Capacity. Even Sing Tel is also facing trouble now a days. Basically My opinion is the Telecom Sector Must be liberalized and Very first we need to break the Monopoly of BTTB.