Telecommunications minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju said yesterday that the government planned to provide internet service to all schools, colleges, universities and most of government organisations free of cost to build a digital Bangladesh by 2021.

At a press briefing held at the conference room of the telecommunications ministry, he said that the internet service would be provided to the organisations by the VIETTEL Corporation, a Vietnamese state owned telephone company, after a deal was finalised between the VIETTEL Corporation and Teletalk Bangladesh Limited.

Mr Raju said that the Vietnamese government was in favour of the VIETTEL Corporation. It had proposed to him to invest US$ 250 millions in the country's telecommunication sector especially for Teletalk Bangladesh Limited during his recent Vietnam visit. "We advised the Vietnamese government to submit a formal proposal in this regard to the Bangladesh government through proper channel as early as possible," he said added, "They will submit their proposal within a week." "After getting their proposal, we will scrutinise and place it before the cabinet meeting for taking action," he added.

He also said that some foreign telecommunications companies, including Global Warless Solution of the USA, Singtel in Singapore, Airtel in India and Samsung have expressed interest to invest a huge amount of money in the telecommunications sector. "We want to establish a large mobile company by expanding the network of Teletalk Bangladesh Limited and setting up necessary equipment across the country," the telecommunications minister said.

Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju said that they were trying to introduce e-governance system in the Prime Minister's Office, ministries and the district headquarters to make teleconferences within one year. He also said that they were planning to introduce the e-governance system in the upazilas even at the union level to make a digital Bangladesh. Additional secretary of the telecommunications ministry Rafiqul Islam said that the VIETTEL Corporation was conducting a feasibility study. It would submit its formal proposal to the government after the completion of the study. He also said that VIETTEL had assured the government that it would provide 1,000 of laptops for the children of the freedom fighters of the country.

-The Independent