Fibre-Optic Co-Deployment Along the Asian Highways and Trans-Asian
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Fibre-Optic Co-Deployment along the Asian Highways and Trans-Asian Railways for E-Resilience: The Cases of India and Bangladesh Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway (AP-IS) Working Paper Series The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) serves as the United Nations’ regional hub promoting cooperation among countries to achieve inclusive and sustainable development. The largest regional intergovernmental platform with 53 member States and 9 associate members, ESCAP has emerged as a strong regional think tank offering countries sound analytical products that shed insight into the evolving economic, social and environmental dynamics of the region. The Commission’s strategic focus is to deliver on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which it does by reinforcing and deepening regional cooperation and integration to advance connectivity, financial cooperation and market integration. ESCAP’s research and analysis coupled with its policy advisory services, capacity building and technical assistance to governments aim to support countries’ sustainable and inclusive development ambitions. The shaded areas of the map indicate ESCAP members and associate members. Disclaimer : The Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway (AP-IS) Working Papers provide policy-relevant analysis on regional trends and challenges in support of the development of the AP-IS and inclusive development. The views expressed herein are those of the authors, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations. This working paper has been issued without formal editing, and the designations employed and material presented do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Correspondence concerning this working paper should be addressed to the email: [email protected] . Contact: Information and Communications Technology and Development Section Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific United Nations Building Rajadamnern Nok Avenue Bangkok 10200, Thailand Email: [email protected] Acknowledgements This working paper was prepared by Professor K M Baharul Islam of the Centre of Excellence in Public Policy and Government at the Indian Institute of Management, Kashipur, India. Substantive comments were provided by Atsuko Okuda, Dongjung Lee and Siope Vakataki ‘Ofa of the Information and Communications Technology and Development Section under the general guidance of Tiziana Bonapace, Director, Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Tarnkamon Chantarawat and Sakollerd Limkriangkrai provided administrative support and other necessary assistance for the issuance of this paper. The working paper also benefited from peer review by Ishtiaque Ahmed of the Transport Division of ESCAP. October 2018 Cover Photo: Shutterstock Table of CContentsontents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 3 List of Tables ........................................................................................................................................... 5 List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................... 5 List of Boxes ............................................................................................................................................ 5 Abbreviations and Acronyms .................................................................................................................. 6 Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................. 7 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1 2. Country Contexts in India and Bangladesh ......................................................................................... 3 2.1 Broadband Connectivity and the Telecommunications Sector in India ........................................ 4 2.2 Fibre-Optic Co-Deployment along Roads and Railways in India ................................................... 6 2.3 Broadband Connectivity and the Telecommunications Sector in Bangladesh ........................... 12 2.4 Fibre-Optic Co-Deployment along Roads and Railways in Bangladesh ...................................... 14 3. Emerging Opportunities .................................................................................................................... 18 3.1 India ............................................................................................................................................ 18 3.2 Bangladesh .................................................................................................................................. 23 4. Challenges and Issues of Fibre-Optic Co-Deployment ...................................................................... 25 4.1 Policy and Regulatory Issues ....................................................................................................... 28 4.1.1 India ..................................................................................................................................... 28 4.1.2 Bangladesh ........................................................................................................................... 29 4.2 Coordination Structures for Fibre-Optic Co-Deployment ........................................................... 30 4.2.1 India ..................................................................................................................................... 31 4.2.2 Bangladesh ........................................................................................................................... 32 5. Public-Private Partnerships ............................................................................................................... 34 5.1 India ............................................................................................................................................ 34 5.2 Bangladesh .................................................................................................................................. 39 6. Resilience of Fibre-Optic Networks ................................................................................................... 42 Annex 1 ................................................................................................................................................. 44 Annex 2 ................................................................................................................................................. 46 Annex 3 ................................................................................................................................................. 49 List of TTTablesTables Table 1: Highlights of the Indian telecommunications sector ................................................................ 5 Table 2: Broadband subscribers in India by segment ............................................................................. 5 Table 3: Internet subscribers in Bangladesh ......................................................................................... 12 Table 4: Mobile subscribers in Bangladesh ........................................................................................... 13 Table 5: Fibre-optic cables laid by telecommunications operators in Bangladesh .............................. 17 Table 6: Status of fibre-optic deployment under BharatNet (Phase 1) ................................................ 20 Table 7: Status of BharatNet ................................................................................................................. 21 List of FFFiguresFigures Figure 1: Fibre-optic connectivity drivers in India .................................................................................. 7 Figure 2: Road network in North-East India............................................................................................ 9 Figure 3: Fibre-optic network of RailTel India ....................................................................................... 11 Figure 4: Fibre-optic network of BTCL .................................................................................................. 15 Figure 5: Status of fibre-optic co-deployment along railway routes in Bangladesh ............................. 16 Figure 6: Coordination structure for fibre-optic co-deployment in India ............................................. 31 Figure 7: Coordination structure for fibre-optic co-deployment in Bangladesh .................................. 33 List of Boxes Box 1: Common Duct Pilot Project in India ........................................................................................... 35 Box 2: Railtel Partners with Cable TV Operators to Improve Rural Connectivity ................................. 39 Abbreviations and Acronyms AP-IS Asia-Pacific Information Superhighway ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations