News Title : Ollo to provide faster internet outside Dhaka, Ctg by Dec

News Date : 2015-11-02

-Muhammad Zahidul Islam
Subscribers of internet service provider Ollo, outside Dhaka and Chittagong, are set to enjoy high-speed data thanks to LTE technology by December. Ollo has established the LTE network in Jessore, Barisal, Sylhet, Mymensingh and Moulvibazar districts, but is facing some challenges in Dhaka, said Igor Grakovich, chief executive officer of Bangladesh Internet Exchange Ltd, Ollo's parent company. “For Dhaka, the nearest we can offer the service is January, but for Chittagong we will need some more time,” he said, adding that Gopalganj will come under its network next week, with more districts to follow in November. LTE, an acronym for Long-Term Evolution, commonly marketed as 4G LTE, is a standard for wireless communication of high-speed data for handset devices. With the LTE technology, the upload and download speed would be up to 150 Mbps, which is much faster than the current wired connections, according to Ollo officials. While Ollo's network encompasses major areas of Dhaka, including Uttara, Gulshan, Banani, Mohakhali, Dhanmondi, Motijheel and its surrounding areas, it is unable to provide the LTE service due to interference in signal from other operators. Senior officials of Ollo said they are trying to solve the problem with the help of the regulator. “We have faced plenty of problems, but now we are on the verge of rolling out the LTE service,” Grakovich said. BIEL, which was awarded the LTE licence in December 2013, developed its network with the help of Chinese ZTE at a cost of $50 million. After BIEL, two internet service providers, Banglalion and Qubee, and five 3G mobile operators were awarded the LTE licence, but none of them have started their ground work to roll out the service.

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