Teletalk to offer 4G service in August

State-owned mobile network operator (MNO) Teletalk will start offering 4G service in August this year although three private MNOs launched this service in February last.

The 23rd meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology was informed today that Teletalk has adopted a plan to introduce 4G service for its customers in divisional cities with own financing of Taka 200 crore, reports BSS.

Teletalk is also working to expand backbone transmission network aimed at installing 4G eNode B (network tower) in 1,100 sites to offer the service, the meeting was told.

Committee Chairman Imran Ahmed, MP, presided over the meeting where state minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak, MP, Moazzem Hossain Ratan, MP, Shawkat Hachanur Rahman (Rimon), MP and Kazi Firoz Rashid, MP were present. 

Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Mustafa Jabbar took part in the meeting on special invitation.

In the meeting, it was mentioned that mobile phone call rate has been set at the lowest Tk 0.25 and the highest Tk 2 while average call rate for different package is Tk 0.58. The average call rate was Tk 9.60 in 2001. 

The parliamentary committee made a recommendation for fixing the internet charge at the same rate in all districts. 

The committee was informed that a total of 383 drives were carried out to curb illegal VoIP from 2007 to March 21, 2018. Besides, a total of 2,68,215 SIMs were seized till March 21, 2018 from 2013 during the anti illegal VoIP drives.

Concerned Secretaries and officials were present.