Jumbangla Desk: Bangladesh state-owned mobile operator Teletalk and technology firm Huawei have been accused of Tk 20 crore bribery in the 5G project. Four officials of Teletalk sat in the company's Moghbazar office and accepted the bribe. The officials are - the then project PD Khairul Hasan, DPD Khaled Hossain, GM Mamun and Ashraf. The details of this bribe trade are highlighted from the report made by Manabzamin-

Project Name-Expansion of Teletalk's Network up to Rural Areas and Network Readiness for 5G Service Project. At present, the work of the project is almost half completed, said the concerned.

Meanwhile, when the officials were contacted about the transaction of Tk 20 crore, they denied the matter. Some of them requested to meet the reporter in the office or separately. On the other hand, Huawei explained the matter in the written question of Human Land on the bribery transaction. The company said that there was no such transaction.

The President of Bangladesh Mobile Phone Consumers Association Mohiuddin Ahmed alleged that officials of Teletalk were bribed to supply low-quality devices and equipment in 5G technology of Teletalk. He said that the devices and equipment provided by Huawei in Teletalk's 5G project are currently not being used in any country in the world. These are outdated. And Teletalk officials who took bribes from Huawei basically gave them the opportunity to use those low-quality devices.

He also said, we demand a fair investigation of such incidents. Besides, we demand to take legal action against all officials who are involved in bribery transactions.

When asked about the bribe transaction, PD Khairul Hasan said, these are sensitive matters. I don't want to talk about it. If you know me, you know what kind of person I am. Two of the other three officials asked to meet the reporter separately. He also denied the allegation of bribery.

In the same context, Huawei's head of media, Tanveer Ahmed, asked him to put the question of bribery in written form. Later, there is an allegation that there was illegal transaction of Huawei with some officials of Teletalk in Moghbazar office of Teletalk regarding 5-G readiness project. What is Huawei's statement on this matter?

When the question was written, Huawei said, 'Huawei invests more than 15 percent of its annual income in research and development. This is why it can offer the most modern and effective products and solutions to all its customers in the telecommunication sector. And that's why Huawei is a brand that everyone likes. On the other hand, we also attach great importance to business cleanliness and everyone's trust in Huawei. Like many other organizations we have an internal audit team who ensure transparency. During the past 26 years in Bangladesh, Huawei has always contributed to the development of the country's ICT sector by complying with local laws and regulations. So the claim of unethical transactions being made here is baseless.'

While working with Teletalk on 5G, Huawei has developed highly efficient hardware and software algorithms through research and development since 2012, capable of delivering high-speed 5G technology while reducing operation costs. Huawei will provide Teletalk with its high-end mobile unit for the launch of 5G in Bangladesh. Among them is AOT (Active Antenna Unit), which will significantly increase the performance of teletalk networks in the 5G era. One of the advantages of Huawei's AUT technology is that it is specially designed for use in densely populated areas like Bangladesh. It will also reduce on-site power consumption and ensure uninterrupted connectivity even under gusty winds.

However, questions are now being raised about these technologies of Huawei. Earlier, Huawei was accused of getting the work of BTCL's 5G project in a controversial process. The transparency of the process of hiring Huawei for the project has been raised in violation of the Act. Huawei Technologies (Bangladesh) Limited played a key role in the 5G service test in Bangladesh on July 25, 2018. At that time, using the 800 megahertz spectrum, the maximum speed of the Internet was up to four GB per second.

Later, Dhaka witnessed 1.6 Gbps speed at the Huawei 5-G exhibition at the Digital Bangladesh Fair at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center in Agargaon in the capital. Since 1998, Huawei has been playing a role in making technology available in the ICT and telecom sector of Bangladesh. Apart from creating employment , the organization also provides training to make the youth suitable for the information and communication technology sector.

State-owned telecom operator Teletalk Bangladesh Limited has selected Huawei, the world's leading ICT infrastructure and service provider, as its partner to launch 5G in Bangladesh. Teletalk on the other hand is a public limited company. Teletalk Bangladesh Limited, a registered joint stock company, started its journey on 26th December 2004 as the only state-owned mobile operator in the country.

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