Telecom Department starts journey

The much-awaited Department of Telecom (DoT) was officially launched last week, without any budgetary allocation.

The department that will develop policies to assist the government with expert advice on new technologies, ideas and decisions, was approved in February, said ministry officials.

Shawkat Mostafa, additional secretary of the posts and telecom division, will lead DoT with a workforce of 238. Office space for the department has already been rented in Tejgaon.

A total of 32 officials have joined the department but they may not get their salaries in the next couple of months as there is no budgetary allocation yet, said a senior officer related to the formation of DoT.

"Currently there is no resource-based government organisation in telecoms and it can create significant development opportunities within the sector," he said.

In July 2008, the government restructured Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board to form Bangladesh Telecommunication Company.

This created confusion over the status of the telecom bureaucratic cadres. Seeking clarifications, the officers had filed a writ petition with the High Court.

The government then decided to form DoT and the telecom cadres could join here. However, some Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission officials earlier said the formation of DoT may undermine the association's importance.