Telecom History: Bangladesh Perspective

1837: Samuel Morse invented Telegraph

1850: Electric Telegraph Line between Calcutta and Diamond Harbor by East India Company

1853: Telegraph branch under Posts and Telegraph Department, British India

1853: 4000 miles telegraph lines constructed in India

1855: Telegraph service opened to public in India

1858: India-Srilanka telegraph cable laid 

1885: Telegraph Act 

1886: Copper wire replacing iron wire

1895: Phonogram introduced in India

1902: Wireless Telegraphy started in India

1914: Postal and Telegraph departments merged in India

1933: Wireless Telegraphy Act 

1944: Introduction of Hindi script

1962: Reconstructed as Pakistan Telegraph and Telephone Department

1971: Reconstructed as Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Department under Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications after the liberation war 

1975: Reconstructed as Telegraph and Telephone Board

1979: Reconstructed as Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB) with right to issue license for telecom and wireless services.

1981: Digital Telex Exchange in Bangladesh

1983: Automatic Digital ITX started in Dhaka 

1985: Coinbox Telephone introduced in Bangladesh by BTTB 

1989: GENTEX Telegraph messaging service introduced in Bangladesh

1989: Bangladesh Rural Telecom Authority got license to operate exchanges in 200 upzillas

1989: Sheba Telecom got license to operate exchange is 199 upzilla

1989: Cellular mobile phone company Pacific Bangladesh Telephone Limited and Bangladesh Telecom got license 

1992: BTCL and Telephone Shilpa Sangstha launches magnetic cardphone service in the country (1400 units)

1995: Card Telephone service introduced in Bangladesh by BTTB and TSS

1995: Regulatory power of BTTB transferred to Ministry (MoPT) 

1995: 2nd and 3rd ITX installed in Dhaka

1996: Grameen Phone got cellular mobile Telephone license 

1998: Telecom Malaysia International Bangladesh got cellular mobile license 

1998: Telecom Policy by Ministry of Post and Telecommunications

1999: 1130 units of chiptype cardphone installation begins in the country 

2000: Global Telecom Service (GTS) Telex Exchange venture with British Telecom 

2001: Telecommunication Act, to establish Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC)

2002: ICT Policy

2004: Licensing Procedure by BTRC 

2004: Teletalk cellular mobile launched 

2004: Interconnection Regulation by BTRC, Amendment: 2008

2004: BTRC (Licensing Procedure) Regulations, Amendment: 2009

2006: Telecommunication Act-2001 Amendment 

2006: NGN (Next Generation Network) introduced in BTTB

2007: International Long Distance Telecommunication Services (ILDTS) Policy by BTRC

2008: Bangladesh Telegraph & Telephone Board (BTTB) was converted into Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited (BTCL) on 01 July with 100 shares owned by Government and with 9 directors, headed by secretary of Ministry of Post and Telecommunications (01 July 2008)

2009: Magnetic Cardphone and Chiptype Cardphone service withdrawn

2009: BTTB ordinance-1979 Amendment (BTCL Act) 

2009: National Broadband Policy by Ministry of Post and Telecommunications

2010: ILDTS Policy

2010: SMS based Premium Rate Services guideline by BTRC

2010: Video Conferencing Guideline by BTRC

2011: Telecom Infrastructure Sharing guideline by BTRC

2012: License Fees of ISP, VSAT, Call Centre etc by BTRC

2013: BPO/Call Centre guideline by BTRC

2013: Mobile Financial Service instructions by BTRC and Bangladesh Bank

2014: (10/02/2014) Ministry of Post and Telecommunication and Ministry of Information and Communication Technology are integrated to Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology.
 

(Prepared by: Mamlukar_Rahman/DDT/BTCL/11march2014)