Cellphone cos strive to maintain network
Staff Correspondent
Cellular phone operators are struggling to keep alive their networks as the raging floods forced to cut off power supply to many base stations mainly in the country's eastern and northern zones, industry sources said.The floods have affected more than 75 base stations of different operators, officials said. A base station works as a relay centre for cell-to-cell communications. "More base stations are likely to be affected if the flood situation continues to worsen," said an official of a private cell phone operator. "We're trying our best to keep service uninterrupted as exchange of information is very vital during any disaster," said the official who requested anonymity. Cell phone subscribers of CityCell in Sunamganj had meanwhile been de-linked for about two hours as power supply failed due to floods. "Now we're running the base stations in the flood-hit areas by transporting fuel oil by boats," the official said. Cell phone services are doing a tremendous job by providing information from even the remotest part of the country, said an official of a Dhaka-based UN organisation. The country's four private operators have around 3 million cell phone subscribers.
| 
