Strengthen cyber security measures

Bangladesh's current security measures are not adequate to combat hi-tech cyber crimes, said Sunil Kanti Bose, the outgoing chairman of the telecom regulator.

Subsequently, he urged the government to set up a separate cyber security unit.

Bose's three-year tenure as the chairman of the Bangladesh Telecommuni-cation Regulatory Commission ended yesterday.

"A developing country like us can also face cyber security problems and to save our people from the attacks we also need to prepare ourselves," he said in his farewell speech.

Bose said the Bangabandhu-1 satellite is one of the mega projects that have registered satisfactory progress.

"Though I will not be here when the satellite is eventually launched, the project makes me proud."

The project is expected to be complete by December 2017.

The satellite will cost Tk 2,967.96 crore, according to the project proposal. But Bose said the project will ultimately cost 16 percent less than the estimation.

About the call-drop issue, he said: "We can never expect zero call drops, and it is not a problem isolated to Bangladesh. India is also suffering badly from the problem. And we are in a much better position than them."

He said the problem will persist as the operators are still building their 3G coverage.

The operators have some network congestion problems and they need to address it to give the customers better services. But once the mobile number portability service launches, the operators will improve their service quality out of their own volition, Bose said. "They will feel the pressure of competition."

Mobile number portability is a service that allows customers to keep their existing number even if they switch operators. The BTRC has already prepared the fourth generation telecom service guideline and Bose hopes that it will hit the market next year.