DHAKA, May 21, 2020 (BSS) – Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of
Bangladesh (AMTOB) today said the operators have continued their effort to
restore the disrupted network in super cyclone Amphan-hit areas.
It said around 50-60 percent network towers were severely affected, and
feared backup system will fail if the electricity is not restored soon.
According to an assessment of AMTOB, around 13,000 network towers would be
cut off due to the power supply. Besides, network sites in Khulna, Barishal,
Chattogram, Sylhet, Dhaka, Mymensingh, Rangpur and Rajshahi were badly
affected by the cyclone Amphan that raged country’s coastal districts on
Wednesday night.
It said about 30 percent of the towers or 13,000 sites did not have
electricity supply from the national grid as of 11am on Thursday.
“The extremely severe cyclone Amphan has left a heavy toll on the country’s
telecom network infrastructure. It badly disrupted the telecom services in
the districts of the southern regions,” said AMTOB Secretary General S M
Farhad.
“Initially, the mobile operators used the backup battery to keep the mobile
towers functional. Once the battery energy was exhausted, the operators now
switched to the generators to continue service amidst this adverse
situation,” he said.
Besides, AMTOB said employees working for mobile service providers and
their partner organizations in various places are facing difficulties in
moving around the country due to heightened security measures put in place by
law enforcement agencies.
“Kind cooperation from the authorities concerned would be crucial to
restore the telecom infrastructure, which has become vital for the country
under the ongoing coronavirus pandemic situation,” Farhad added.