Comments on: telecom, among other things http://jeni.blogsome.com/2007/09/06/34/ Wed, 30 Dec 2009 19:48:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=1.5.1-alpha by: Jie http://jeni.blogsome.com/2007/09/06/34/#comment-49 Mon, 08 Oct 2007 21:26:31 +0100 http://jeni.blogsome.com/2007/09/06/34/#comment-49 Yo, no updates? How you doing? What's new? You are missing a beautiful fall here. Amazing colors.. ;) Yo, no updates? How you doing? What’s new? You are missing a beautiful fall here. Amazing colors.. ;)

]]> by: Kate http://jeni.blogsome.com/2007/09/06/34/#comment-47 Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:00:29 +0100 http://jeni.blogsome.com/2007/09/06/34/#comment-47 I hope the nice hotel has bagels for you!!! I hope the nice hotel has bagels for you!!!

]]> by: Afzal http://jeni.blogsome.com/2007/09/06/34/#comment-46 Fri, 07 Sep 2007 23:31:12 +0100 http://jeni.blogsome.com/2007/09/06/34/#comment-46 Interesting post!!! One thing to note is that Bangladesh, interestingly enough, was wired with fiberoptic <i>internally</i> far before they got an external (submarine) fiber connection. In fact, back in the early-mid 90s, Bangladesh Railway got World Bank/ADB loans to develop a massive fiber-optic network along the rail route. GrameenPhone actually leased this excess capacity (at very favorable rates) to get off the ground. Initially GP was the only major mobile phone company using that -- a big competitive advantage. The problems you mention are all related to th external fiber connection. You're right-- in the mid-1990s while the rest of the region (and the world) was wired to submarine fiber optic, BTTB refused to join the SEA-ME-WE3. As a result, up until very recently, almost all Internet communication was done via VSAT and terrestrial microwave towers (not as slow as dial-up but still pretty damn slow). When a submarine fiber connection was finally made (to SEA-ME-WE 4), it was connected to the remote beaches of Cox's Bazar. Then it took several years of political greed/corruption to decide who would link those beaches and the existing national fiber-optic network. You couldn't have said it better-- this fundamental technology completely stunted Bangladesh's development for years....quite sad really. Glad to hear you've recovered your food illness! Interesting post!!! One thing to note is that Bangladesh, interestingly enough, was wired with fiberoptic internally far before they got an external (submarine) fiber connection. In fact, back in the early-mid 90s, Bangladesh Railway got World Bank/ADB loans to develop a massive fiber-optic network along the rail route. GrameenPhone actually leased this excess capacity (at very favorable rates) to get off the ground. Initially GP was the only major mobile phone company using that — a big competitive advantage.

The problems you mention are all related to th external fiber connection. You’re right– in the mid-1990s while the rest of the region (and the world) was wired to submarine fiber optic, BTTB refused to join the SEA-ME-WE3. As a result, up until very recently, almost all Internet communication was done via VSAT and terrestrial microwave towers (not as slow as dial-up but still pretty damn slow). When a submarine fiber connection was finally made (to SEA-ME-WE 4), it was connected to the remote beaches of Cox’s Bazar. Then it took several years of political greed/corruption to decide who would link those beaches and the existing national fiber-optic network.

You couldn’t have said it better– this fundamental technology completely stunted Bangladesh’s development for years….quite sad really.

Glad to hear you’ve recovered your food illness!

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