First ever solar-powered ATM launched in Bangladesh

The first ever solar-powered ATM [automated teller machine] of the country was launched today aiming at making banking services eco-friendly and saving non- renewable energy.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Dr Atiur Rahman inaugurated the ATM booth at headquarters of Al Falah Islami Bank in the city's Gulshan area, which would be using solar power instead of consuming grid power.

"This is part of the central bank's initiative of making banking sector more environment-friendly," the governor said and expected that more banks would soon join in the similar activities.

He said the central bank would provide necessary support to the banks to make their operation eco-friendly.

Al Falah Bank's country head SAA Masrur and country operation head Shahab Khattak attended the programme.
News Source: BSS

BD Power purchase agreement with India in Sept

Finance Minister AMA Muhith Wednesday said that the power purchase agreement (PPA) to import electricity from India will be signed in September next.

Power purchase from India soon

State owned Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) will sign the PPA with Indian NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) to import initially around 250 megawatt (mw) of electricity to ease the country's nagging electricity crisis. The cabinet committee on economic affairs chaired by the finance minister, however, did not approve signing of the PPA Wednesday.

"We have sent it back to re-examine some clauses of the draft PPA," Muhith told newsmen after the meeting. He said the termination clause of the PPA needs to be revised. As per the draft PPA, the duration for import of 250 mw electricity from Indian open market will be 25 years after signing of the agreement.

"But we may not have requirement of electricity import for long 25 years," said the finance minister. The draft deal has also provision for Bangladesh to export power to India too, if required in future. Electricity tariff would be fixed as per the Indian central energy regulatory commission.

Currently a single unit electricity cost in India is between Indian rupee 2.8789 and 2.9426 from Kahalgoan and Farakka plants respectively. Transmission charge and loss of electricity will be added with the costs.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) over import of electricity from India was signed between Bangladesh and India during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to Delhi in January, 2010. The non-signing of the PPA is, however, delaying disbursement of loan by project financier Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Bangladesh has already contracted out the task of installing overhead transmission line and setting up a power sub-station to Spanish Cobra and German Siemens respectively. Under the contract, Siemens is to build the sub-station under a project worth $107 million and Cobra Instalaciones Y Servicios SA is assigned with the task of laying the electricity transmission line for the project at a cost of around $15 million.

News Source:

The Financial Express

Private landline operato RanksTel set to resume service

Private landline operator RanksTel won back approval from the telecom regulator on Sunday to resume operations after a 16-month shutdown.

A team of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission restored RanksTel's licence and spectrum, after the operator withdrew the case it filed against the government.

RanksTel has refunded Tk 1.82 crore to the regulator in shared revenue and annual spectrum and utilisation charges. But unpaid interconnection charges with the mobile operators would be refunded after operations resume, said Abul K Shamsuddin, chief operating officer of RanksTel.

“RanksTel got back its licence after it paid all due charges,” said AKM Shahiduzzaman, director general of the legal and licensing division of BTRC.

The regulator will also return licences to four other PSTN (public switched telephone network) operators -- Dhaka Phone, National Phone, PeoplesTel and WorldTel after they meet the conditions, Shahiduzzaman said.

The licences of five PSTN operators were cancelled in March last year due to allegations of illegal call termination activities.

RanksTel had almost 3 lakh subscribers and 450 employees last year. Now the company has no subscribers, but about 150 employees are still working there, said Shamsuddin.

After the ban, RanksTel had to suspend services to banks, hospitals, multinational companies and call-centers.

“But RanksTel has never missed its loan repayment installments with the banks,” said the RanksTel COO.

The time it would take to fully get back to operations is not yet sure, he said.

The company has 250 base transceivers (BTS) in 35 districts.

News Source:

The Daily Star

Bangladesh to spend $6.17b on oil imports in the 2011-12 fiscal year

Bangladesh will spend $6.17 billion on importing oil in the 2011-12 fiscal year, more than double the previous year, as it buys more fuel at higher cost to fire up new power plants aimed at easing electricity shortages, a senior energy official said. “This year (July-June) the state-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) will import 7.03 million tonnes of fuel oil, up from 5.4 million in 2010-11,” BPC chairman Mohammad Muqtadir Ali told Reuters on Sunday.
“ The cost of the import at current prices is estimated at $6.17 billion, against $3 billion last year,” he said.
The government has allocated 224.7 billion taka ($3 billion) as a subsidy in various sectors including agriculture and for fuel in the 2011-12 budget, compared with 194 billion taka the previous year, said an official of the
finance ministry.
“The import cost and subsidy are going up because of price rises in the international oil market, and for additional imports to run oil-fired power plants.”
BPC is the sole oil importer and distributor in the country.
Muqtadir said the fuel import would increase mainly due to the setting up of about 30 oil-operated power plants.
In the last two and a half years, the oil price has nearly tripled in international markets. In December 2008, oil was trading at $34 a barrel. It is now hovering around $97.
The subsidy in the energy and power sectors increased about 280 percent last year, a document of the finance ministry showed.

News Source: www.theindependentbd.com

Banglalink New 3G enable Internet Modem in Bangladesh

Banglalink launched banglalink branded usb internet modem in the market on a mass scale. banglalink internet modem is a complete device where subscribers will enjoy absolute plug & play.

Banglalink Internet Modem Feature

• gprs/edge packet data service
• 3g/hsdpa ready
• standard usb interface (type a)
• windows 2000/xp/vista/7 & mac os
• supports micro sd card (up to 8 gb)

the modem can be purchased at any banglalink customer care center from 16th february, 2011 only at tk. 2,749 (including vat). from 23rd february, 2011 onwards, the modem will be available in all banglalink points.

Japan defers $400m loan for Bangladesh bridge

Japan has put on hold a promised $400 million loan for a river bridge in Bangladesh, as it focuses instead on reconstruction at home following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, a senior Bangladeshi official said on Monday.

“Tokyo has officially conveyed this to us as the country needs to focus more on reconstructing its quake and tsunami-battered economy,” said Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, secretary of the economic relations division at the finance ministry.

The loan agreement with Japan was scheduled to be signed this month, Musharraf said, but it was not now clear when this might be possible.

The Japanese government was part of an international consortium, led by the World Bank, that agreed last year to lend Bangladesh up to $2.9 billion for the 6-km (3.8 miles) multi-purpose bridge over the river Padma.

News Source: www.bangladeshprotidin.com

BTRC move worries small telecom operators

Cancellation of fee on the use of frequency or utilisation factor might pose a direct threat to the enormous potential of the telecom sector, industry insiders say. They say the step will bring benefit for the big mobile operators but push the small mobile operators in trouble.

IDB to provide $380m for power generation

The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) has sent the final confirmation letter to the Economic Relation Division (ERD) for providing a loan of $ 380 million to boost up the country’s power generation capabilities, ERD sources said.

MTB signs two deals with Grameenphone

Mutual Trust Bank (MTB) has recently signed two agreements with Grameenphone (GP) on trading of government securities and bills collection at a function at MTB Centre in the city, said a statement.

Dhaka-Chittagong Highway to be 4-lane by June 2013

Construction work for turning Dhaka-Chittagong national highway into four lanes is going on full swing with an auspicious target of finishing the job well ahead of December 2013 deadline. Official sources said 16 percent of this project had already been completed in the past six months after signing of the agreements with three companies on January 10 this year.

"We are expecting that the highway [Dhaka-Chittagong] will be upgraded to four-lane by June 30, 2013, which was earlier scheduled for December 2013," Communication Minister Syed Abul Hossian said. The minister said all hurdles to the major projects in communication sector, including this four-lane highway, Padma Bridge and elevated expressway, were removed at the sincere and effective initiative of the present government to develop the country's infrastructure.

"People will soon see significant development in communication sector as implementation of some projects are going on full swing when some projects in the pipeline are being considered on priority basis", he said.

Chief engineer of Roads and Highways (R&H) Department Shahabuddin said the biggest barrier to the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway development was land accusation, which was sorted out with the active cooperation from local public representatives.

Besides, he said the project involves constructions of six major bridges, three flyovers, two underpasses, 21 small and medium bridges, 196 culverts, 33 steel foot over bridges and six bus stoppages between Daudkandi toll bridge to Chittagong City gate.

Shahabuddin said the contractors had already built 14 culverts and finished clearing and grooving of 92 kilometers of the 192 kilometers highway project and added that 48 more culverts would be built in two months. He said development and maintenance of 26 kilometers of the highway on the part of Chittagong also completed, and the job for the rest 166 kilometers would be done within the next dry season.

News Source:

BSS