technology
Mexico wants to share automobile manufacturing experience with Bangladesh, transfer technology
Mexico, one of the major suppliers of the global automobile market, has shown interest to share its experience and transfer technology to help build the capacity of Bangladesh in automobile manufacturing.
Mexican Ambassador to India Federico Salas Lotfe had a courtesy meeting with Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu, senior vice-president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), Monday in the capital.
The Mexican ambassador said: "By exploring and diversifying trade, both sides would be benefited. I think the automobile, pharmaceutical, chemical, and fintech sector has huge potential."
Also, Federico urged Bangladeshi entrepreneurs to set up businesses in Mexico.
Read more: Car importers still unable to open LCs from banks
Mostofa Azad Chowdhury Babu, senior vice-president of FBCCI, informed the envoy about the Bangladesh Business Summit which will be held in March this year.
The senior vice-president said, "Several plenary sessions will be held during the three-day Business Summit; trade and investment potential in Bangladesh will be discussed. CEOs from international companies, business leaders, analysts, and top officials of different countries and organisations will join the event."
He called for the active participation of Mexican officials and the business community at the event.
The senior vice-president also said the FBCCI will provide all kinds of support to Mexican businessmen to expand trade and investment in Bangladesh.
Israel's high-tech economic engine balks at govt policies
Israel’s tech industry has long been the driving force behind the country’s economy. Now, as Israel’s new government pushes ahead with its far-right agenda, the industry is flexing its muscle and speaking out in unprecedented criticism against policies it fears will drive away investors and decimate the booming sector.
The public outcry presents a pointed challenge to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who champions Israeli technology on the international stage and has long boasted of his own economic prowess. It also highlights how deep and broad opposition to the government’s policies runs, from political rivals, to top members of the justice system and military.
Tech leaders say that since the government took power last month, a cloud has emerged over their industry, with foreign investors spooked at what some say is a country regressing rather than striving for innovation. They fear the government's plans to overhaul the judiciary and pledges by some top officials to advance discriminatory laws will imperil the industry that has earned the country the nickname Start-Up Nation and in turn, send Israel's economy into a tailspin.
Read more: Hi-tech parks to help Bangladesh become knowledge-based economy: Palak
“Investors are asking ‘where is Israel headed? Will it continue to be a country that leads technologically or is it moving two generations backwards? Are political agendas more important than the ability to be global tech leaders?’" said Omri Kohl, CEO of Pyramid Analytics, a company that makes business intelligence software. If the tech industry suffers, he said, “everyone will lose.”
Over the last three decades, Israel’s tech industry has become the beating heart of its economy. The sector employs more than 10% of the country’s salaried workforce, according to official figures. And while the industry has struggled this past year like its counterparts abroad, it still accounts for about a quarter of the country's income taxes, thanks to its high salaries, and produces more than half of the country’s exports.
During his time as prime minister for most of the past decade and a half, plus another stint in the 1990s, Netanyahu's political fortunes have been linked to the rise of the tech industry. For many in the tech sector, that makes his government’s agenda and the speed with which it is advancing all the more confounding.
“Bibi is determined but he also understands that we are a small country that is very dependent on the outside world,” said Eynat Guez, the CEO of human resources software firm Papaya Global, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. “With all due respect to Bibi, that determination will hit a wall very quickly” when investors start to pull out, she said.
On Thursday, Guez tweeted that the company, which has raised nearly half a billion dollars from investors, would be “removing all of the company's money from the country” because of the proposed changes.
The tech industry sees the government’s policies as a warning light for critical foreign investors, who they say are already holding off on investments as they wait for the political developments to unfold.
The current government’s plans to accelerate settlement expansion on occupied lands sought by the Palestinians for a state could also impact foreign investment. Norway’s $1.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund several years ago ruled out doing business with certain Israeli companies because of their involvement in the settlement enterprise, considered illegal by most of the international community. Last month, Israeli media reports said that the Norwegian fund was again rethinking its investment, in part because of the new government.
Read more: Tech entrepreneurs to play important role in economy
Maxim Rybnikov, an analyst with the credit rating agency Standard & Poor's, told The Associated Press in an email that judicial changes could present “downside risks in the future" that could affect Israel's debt rating. That sentiment was reportedly echoed by Israel's central bank chief in a meeting this week with Netanyahu and voiced publicly by numerous other leading economists and business figures.
Many in Israel's tech sector say the circumstances could prompt young Israeli talent as well as global tech giants who have offices in the country to leave. That would be catastrophic for the homegrown industry, they say.
Typically silent on politics, hundreds of tech workers walked out of their offices on Tuesday near tech hubs around the country to protest the planned changes. Waving signs reading “there's no high-tech without democracy,” and “democracy is not a bug that needs to be fixed,” they blocked a central Tel Aviv throughway for about an hour.
Last month, hundreds of executives, entrepreneurs and venture capitalists signed a letter calling on Netanyahu to rethink his policies for the sake of the economy, calling them “a real existential threat to the illustrious tech industry.”
“We call on you to stop the growing snowball, steady the ship and preserve the status quo,” the letter said.
Jerusalem Venture Partners, one of the country’s leading venture capital firms, issued a statement against a proposed law allowing discrimination against LGBTQ people, signed by the companies it backs.
And leaders of top firms are speaking out on social media, including Barak Eilam, chief executive of the Nasdaq-traded NICE Ltd., one of Israel’s oldest and largest tech companies and Nir Zohar, chief operating officer of the website builder Wix, who have both slammed the proposed changes.
Netanyahu has pledged to charge ahead with his policies.
At a news conference on Wednesday, he lashed out at his critics, accusing his political opponents and the media of using scare tactics to promote their own agendas.
“In recent days, I have heard concerns about the effect of the legal reforms on our economic resilience," he said. “The truth is the opposite. Our steps to strengthen democracy will not harm the economy. They will strengthen it.”
Most worrisome to the tech sector is the planned overhaul of Israel’s justice system, which would give parliament power to overturn certain Supreme Court decisions. Critics say the changes would grant the government overwhelming power and upend Israel’s democratic system of checks and balances. Last weekend, an estimated 100,000 Israelis took to the streets against the planned changes.
Tech leaders also have spoken out against pledges by Netanyahu’s ultranationalist partners to craft legislation that would allow discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community, seeing it as contradictory to the pluralistic values of the tech sector.
Netanyahu has given authority over certain educational programs to Avi Maoz, the head of a radical, religious ultranationalist party who is anti-LGBTQ. Netanyahu has also made promises to his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners to strengthen their insular school system that emphasizes religious studies over subjects like math and English. Economists say this will prevent their integration into the modern world, a step seen as necessary to keep the economy afloat.
Moshe Zviran, the chief entrepreneurship and innovation officer at Tel Aviv University, a position that encourages youth to navigate the tech world, said the next generation might not have the same opportunities as their predecessors because of the government's policies.
“If there won’t be exits and sales and Israeli high-tech it’ll be a real problem. It’s a fatal blow to the Israeli economy," said Zviran, the former dean of the university's business school.
“The minute that innovation departs, what are we left with here?”
Germany to assist with technology to monitor soil: Agriculture Minister
Minister for Agriculture Dr Abdur Razzak said German businesspeople will assist Bangladesh in monitoring the quality of soil through satellite technology to boost agricultural production.
He said this after a meeting with the Germany Agriculture Alliance and leading agriculture businesses in Berlin on Friday.
The minister said several issues including establishment of Better Life Farming, implementation of global Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) and assistance in agricultural products were discussed at the meeting.
He said pilot programmes on the issues will be taken soon in the country.
Also Read: Bangladesh, France keen to build partnership in aviation, space, aerospace technology
Germany Agriculture Alliance Chairperson Julia Harnal, Managing Director Elina, Global GAP Director Christina Mueller, Deutschland Managing Director Peter Mueller, Additional Secretary to Bangladeshi Agricultural Ministry Md Ruhul Amin Talukdar and Minister for Bangladesh Embassy in Berlin Md Saiful Islam among others were present in the meeting.
Besides, Minister Razzak had a bilateral meeting with Canadian Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau.
Elon Musk rebuffed in bid to move Tesla tweet trial to Texas
While still grappling with the fallout from a company he did take private, beleaguered billionaire Elon Musk is now facing a trial over a company he didn’t.
Long before Musk purchased Twitter for $44 billion in October, he had set his sights on Tesla, the electric automaker where he continues to serve as CEO and from which he derives most of his wealth and fame.
Musk claimed in a August 7, 2018 tweet that he had lined up the financing to pay for a $72 billion buyout of Tesla, which he then amplified with a follow-up statement that made a deal seem imminent.
Read more: Elon Musk rebuffed in bid to move Tesla tweet trial to Texas
But the buyout never materialized and now Musk will have to explain his actions under oath in a federal court in San Francisco. The trial, which begins on Tuesday with jury selection, was triggered by a class-action lawsuit on behalf of investors who owned Tesla stock for a 10-day period in August 2018.
Musk’s tweets back then fueled a rally in Tesla’s stock price that abruptly ended a week later, after it became apparent that he didn’t have the funding for a buyout after all. That resulted in him scrapping his plan to take the automaker private, culminating in a $40 million settlement with U.S. securities regulators that also required him to step down as the company’s chairman.
CES startups face cautious investors amid economic woes
More than a thousand startups are showcasing their products at the annual CES tech show in Las Vegas, hoping to create some buzz around their gadgets and capture the eyes of investors who can help their businesses grow.
But amid the slew of layoffs in the tech industry and an economic landscape battered with high inflation and interest rates, many may be met with cautious investors looking for products that can deliver quick returns instead of hype.
Analysts say the event this year has somewhat of a muted tone compared to prior shows, when many companies routinely unveiled pie-in-the-sky projects that never saw the light of day. Carolina Milanesi, president and principal analyst at the consumer tech research firm Creative Strategies, said this time around, many of the tech items displayed during the show’s media preview days, which occurred Tuesday and Wednesday, have been less “flamboyant” compared to prior years, which showcased things like talking microwaves and smart jeans that vibrate to direct users.
“The economy — and I think the mood in general — is a little bit negative around tech,” Milanesi said. “It’s really getting companies to focus on real value for customers.“
CES, the most influential tech gathering in the world, officially begins on Thursday to attendees in the industry. Roughly 3,000 companies have registered to attend the event, including big companies like Amazon that are laying off thousands of employees and axing unprofitable areas of their business amid uncertainty in the wider economy.
Simultaneously, many startups are attempting to find their wings at a time when consumers are tightening their belts and being more picky about how to spend their money. And experts note the somber economic climate can be particularly difficult for companies who make hardware products — they typically require robust investments to manufacture their gadgets and often encounter challenges with securing the money they need.
Marco Snikkers, founder and CEO of OneThird, a startup that tests produce ripeness, said investors have been much more critical this year about which companies to fund. Securing investments for his own company took much longer than anticipated but luckily, he said, some existing investors stepped up to help and the company didn’t run out of cash. They were able to secure more funding last month.
“We can hopefully survive 2023 with what we have today,” Snikkers said, adding the Netherlands-based company, which also has an app, hopes to expand their products to the U.S.
Another CES attendee, Mohamed Soliman, founder of the French electric skates startup AtmosGear, said investors have been more fearful about putting money into projects during the entire pandemic and are asking for a higher level of maturity from companies before they put some skin in the game.
“I think CES could be a ‘do or die’ time for many startups,” said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. “The clock struck midnight in terms of tech investors just giving away free money. There’s a lot more competing for capital.”
Saving money has now become a big priority for the tech industry, a shift from the past when more analysts and investors were more focused on how companies were growing. Ives said unlike products that received a lot of buzz during prior shows but didn’t have a clear revenue path, like drones, investors are now looking to fund things that can be deployed, such as artificial intelligence, chip technology and electric vehicles.
More transformational tech themes, such as broader use of virtual reality and immersive experiences in the metaverse, are also being showcased at the show. Though the metaverse has its skeptics, Ives said he believes all these technologies could lay the groundwork for what’s likely to be a fourth industrial revolution.
But as of now, a recession is potentially on the doorstep, he said. “And I think that’s the elephant in the room at this year’s CES.”
Event organizers for their part say excitement hasn’t dampened. Brian Comiskey, the director of thematic programs at the Consumer Technology Association, the trade group putting together the show, said many startups are excited to be back at the event and mingle in person with investors after COVID kept many of them away for the past two shows.
The organization also has a program, called CTA Match, that pairs startups with investors who might be interested in their products, he said, adding many companies have showcased items that can be rolled out soon, or are innovations that could be deployed if they meet the right investors.
But even entrepreneurs that raise money are facing higher costs due to inflation. That, coupled with a more challenging investment scene could mean more companies won’t be able to make it — or won’t be able to make it with the cash they have on hand, a scenario that could lead to more mergers with big companies, said Peter Csathy, chairman of the media and tech advisory firm Creative Media.
Still, startups are trying to get the most out of the show and will attempt to create buzz around their products in an effort to grab some headlines and get free marketing, Csathy said.
Up to 100% cashback on Walton computer items, new website launched
With the slogan of ‘Technology products for everyone’, Walton has announced 'New Year Cashback Offer' on its computer products and accessories.
As per this offer, customers will get up to 100 percent guaranteed cashback on the purchase of laptop, desktop computer and accessories from any Walton Plaza across the country.
On the occasion of New Year, Walton announced this offer for the buyers of wide ranges of computer products and accessories.
Read more: Walton opens special showroom in Narayanganj
Besides, Walton Digi-Tech Industries Ltd.'s website has been launched. Now, customers will get all necessary information and services on the newly launched website and they can also buy products from this website.
The 'New Year Cashback Offer' and the website were inaugurated at the launching ceremony held at Walton Corporate Office in the capital on Monday (January 2, 2023).
At the event, officials informed that the goal of Walton Computer is to deliver the latest technology products to everyone in Bangladesh at affordable prices. Thus, Walton Computer is manufacturing and marketing 44 kinds of technology products of 17 categories under 32 brand names. They are providing various customer benefits, including cash discount, EMI and installment facilities, exchange offers and so many on Walton computer products and accessories.
Customers can adjust the received cashback while making cash payment and the offer is also available on the product's purchased with 6-month installment facility at zero interest.
From the newly launched (https://waltondigitech.com) website, customers will get all kinds of information and services about laptops, computers, mobile phones, IT products and accessories and place online purchase orders staying at home.
Read more: Walton brings new CiNEd gaming monitors
The website has a special option named 'Make My PC' by which customers can purchase customized PC as per their requirement. From the 'Suggest My PC' option, customers will get necessary support in choosing laptop, desktop computer or all-in-one PC in according with their needs.
At the event, catalog of Walton IT products was also unveiled. The authorities also awarded the employees for their tireless efforts and significant contribution to the company's sales and growth.
Walton Hi-Tech Industries PLC.'s Vice-Chairman SM Shamsul Alam attended the launching program as chief guest while the company's Director SM Mahbubul Alam was special guest which was presided by Walton Digi-Tech Industries Ltd.'s Chairman SM Rezaul Alam.
Among others, Walton Plaza Trades' Chief Executive officer Mohammad Rayhan, Walton Hi-Tech Industries Deputy Managing Director Nazrul Islam Sarker, Walton Digi-Tech Industries Deputy Managing Director Engineer Liakat Ali, Walton Computer's Chief Business Officer Touhidur Rahman Raad, Walton's Senior Executive Director SM Zahid Hasan, Executive Directors Azizul Hakim, Zeenat Hakim, Mohammad Shahjada Salim, Mofizur Rahman Jakir and Didarul Alam Khan were also present.
Top 10 Most Exciting Innovations of 2022 in Technology
Every year, tech specialists, engineers and scientists continuously delve into breaking new barriers in innovation and technology. It’s like unsatiated need of humen to surmise the ultimate answer to life and everything. And unlike Doughlas Adam’s conclusion of 42, the grand scheme of understanding the unknown continues. Let's take a look at the 10 most popular technological innovations of 2022.
10 Biggest Innovations of 2022 in Technology
The list doesn’t limit itself to any specific stream or industry. Rather we look at innovations that brought a collective impact on humankind and made a long stride in shaping the future.
The James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope has been a revolutionary invention in the field of astronomy and space exploration. The telescope formally replaced the Hubble telescope, which has been mankind’s primary eye into distant galaxies.
The JWST has a sensor three times larger than the departing Hubble telescope. With a two-decade development and 9.7 billion dollars of investment, we are now seeing the star systems and galaxies as far as 13 billion light-years away in stellar resolution. From Alpha Centauri to the Pillar of Creation, JWST is indeed mankind’s next big leap after Armstrong’s famous footstep on the lunar surface.
Read More: New space telescope shows Jupiter's auroras, tiny moons
Parallel Reality by Delta
Parallel Reality by Delta aims to bring a personalized experience to every public interaction. Consider going to an airport and squinting at the large panel trying to figure out your flight details. What if we told you that now the large panel will use the entire panel to display your flight information as soon as you scan your ticket? Sounds like a dream, right? Especially with thousands of others wanting the same?
Parallel reality uses a specialized augmented reality that can revert light in 18,000 different directions. Meaning at least 18,000 people can access the panel at the same time and get customized outputs based on their needs. This truly is the future of public tech interaction.
Color Changing Cars
Another fun innovation of 2022 has to be the BMW IX Flow. The car is still in its development phase, but BMW has recently shown off its patented technology of a car that can change colors based on your preference.
The inner ambient lighting has been the main innovation focus for all these years. For the exterior, the shade that you get would typically be the final choice. But with this revolutionary new technology, you can take your car exterior from pitch black to snow white. There really is no limit to the possibilities.
Read More: 10 Greatest Female Scientists of All Time
BMW has come up with a hybrid e-ink technology that can mimic colors. This has been done without compromising the outer rigidity of the car shell.
The Luxury Electric Car
Tesla is the pioneer of the electric car revolution that started several decades ago. Back in the day, electric cars weren’t practical even let alone be a comfortable daily driver. With the innovation and logistical support of Tesla, electric cars aren’t just a daily driver anymore, and it has seen some of the highest adoption rates in recent years.
But there is no limit to innovation. Lucid, a company based in the USA, has decided to take things even further. Enter Lucid Air EV, the world’s first proper luxury Sedan powered by a completely electric powertrain. Besides the luxury aspect, the car has a better range, better-charging speed, and better performance compared to a standard Tesla Model S. The reality of an electric future isn’t really a dream anymore.
Read More: Apple Car: The Leaks and Rumors
Combatting Deepfakes
The term deepfake has become ever-popular thanks to the revolutionary stride in AI in recent years. Deepfakes or modified visual content are now truer than ever and that poses benefits as well as risks. While it's great for AR and VR, it is also paving the way for personal harassment and insurance fraud.
Truepic Lens aims to combat the growing nuisance created by deepfake by analyzing the content. The company calls it “glass to glass” analysis, where they check that the lens glass captures are accurate to the ones you are seeing in your display. They use different AI, layering, and metadata analyses to conclude whether any digital media has been manipulated using deepfake or not.
Robots are More Life-like than Ever
The concept of robots has long evolved from mechanical to actual functional units and more recently, to a humanoid concept. The idea is to replicate robots as close to humans as possible.
The scientists at Engineered Arts have created Ameca, a fusion of AI and human-like motion. The humanoid AI platform Ameca has been created to replicate humans as naturally and fluidly as possible. The robot can express emotions, and facial responses and even move around in the most realistic way to date.
Read More: Ameca: World’s Most Realistic Advanced Humanoid Robot AI Platform
Diverting an Asteroid
Do you remember that Bruce Willis film called Armageddon? The plot revolves around a team of astronauts who successfully diverts an asteroid to save humanity. Over two decades on from the fictional world of the movies, NASA has been successful in diverting the course of Dimorphos asteroid with their DART mission.
And you guessed it, NASA force crashed a 1,100-pound spacecraft into the surface of Dimorphos to effectively alter its course. This gave NASA important data to analyze diversions should there be an asteroid crisis in the future.
DALL E 2: The Revolutionary Text to Imaging AI
With the hot debate of whether AI art is art or not aside, there has been a considerable stride in using AI to morph images. While previously it required a subject or a reference for the work, the revolutionary breakthrough by Open AI has paved the way for text to the imaging process.
It essentially means that you can feed a prompt to the AI, and based on your details, DALL E 2 will come up with a photorealistic result. The results are almost eerily accurate to what you might be visualizing in your head, and Open AI thinks this could be a breakthrough point in how we interact with AI or use AI per se.
Read More: How Can Artificial Intelligence Improve Healthcare?
Chat GPT
If DALL E 2 fascinated you, wait till you hear what else Open AI has developed in 2022. One of their latest beta creations is the Chat GPT. This is essentially like your personalized AI assistant. It can answer any query you throw at it. It can plan a schedule, a marketing timeline, write professional emails, and whatnot. It can even write poems. Sounds unreal? Well, here is the result when I asked Chat GPT to write me a poem on a gloomy day. Have a look.
It's crazy and borderline spooky how good, and accurate Chat GPT gets things done, all the while being in beta testing mode. If the event was a giant leap towards advancement, then AI assistants will certainly give it a full shape.
3D Printed Coral Reefs
We saved the best for the last. With almost 25% of all the aquatic life finding their habitat in coral reefs, they must be preserved. But with global warming and rising sea levels, the growth of new coral reefs is being hindered.
The Scientist at Technion Institute of Technology has come up with a solution to 3D print coral reefs using terracotta clay. The modular structure would be made to replicate the natural habitat of the localized aquatic life. The scientists associated with the project hope that this will help to create a more robust aquatic ecosystem and potentially restore endangered species.
Read More: Best Free Data Science, Machine Learning Courses Online
Final Words
So far, we have discussed 10 most exciting technological innovations of 2022. Not to mention, 2022 has been an amazing year of inventions and innovations. There have been considerable strides in AI, and renewable energy as well as in combating the problems created by global warming. As we move towards 2023, the expectations are very high with what the new year will bring for all of us.
Minister: Ukraine aims to develop air-to-air combat drones
Ukraine has bought some 1,400 drones, mostly for reconnaissance, and plans to develop combat models that can attack the exploding drones Russia has used during its invasion of the country, according to the Ukrainian government minister in charge of technology.
In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov described Russia’s war in Ukraine as the first major war of the internet age. He credited drones and satellite internet systems like Elon Musk’s Starlink with having transformed the conflict.
Ukraine has purchased drones like the Fly Eye, a small unmanned aerial vehicle used for intelligence, battlefield surveillance and reconnaissance.
“And the next stage, now that we are more or less equipped with reconnaissance drones, is strike drones,” Federov said. “These are both exploding drones and drones that fly up to three to 10 kilometers and hit targets.”
He predicted “more missions with strike drones” in the future, but would not elaborate. “We are talking there about drones, UAVs, UAVs that we are developing in Ukraine. Well, anyway, it will be the next step in the development of technologies,” he said.
Russian authorities have alleged several Ukrainian drone strikes on its military bases in recent weeks, including one on Monday in which they said Russian forces shot down a drone approaching the Engels airbase located more than 600 kilometers (over 370 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
Russia’s military said debris killed three service members but no aircraft were damaged. The base houses Tu-95 and Tu-160 nuclear-capable strategic bombers that have been involved in launching strikes on Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities have never formally acknowledged carrying out such drone strikes, but they have made cryptic allusions to how Russia might expect retaliation for its war in Ukraine, including within Russian territory.
Ukraine is carrying out research and development on drones that could fight and down other drones, Federov said. Russia has used Iranian-made Shahed drones for its airstrikes in Ukrainian territory in recent weeks, in addition to rocket, cruise missile and artillery attacks.
“I can say already that the situation regarding drones will change drastically in February or March,” he said.
Federov sat for an interview in his bright and modern office. Located inside a staid ministry building, the room contained a vinyl record player, history books stacked on shelves and a treadmill.
The minister highlighted the importance of mobile communications for both civilian and military purposes during the war and said the most challenging places to maintain service have been in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa and Kyiv regions in the center and east of the country.
He said there are times when fewer than half of mobile phone towers are functioning in the capital, Kyiv, because Russian airstrikes have destroyed or damaged the infrastructure that power them.
Ukraine has some 30,000 mobile-phone towers, and the government is now trying to link them to generators so they can keep working when airstrikes damage the power grid.
The only alternative, for now, is satellite systems like Starlink, which Ukrainians may rely on more if blackouts start lasting longer.
“We should understand that in this case, the Starlinks and the towers, connected to the generators, will be the basic internet infrastructure,” Federov said.
Many cities and towns are facing power cuts lasting up to 10 hours. Fedorov said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree that instructs mobile phone companies to ensure they can provide signals without electricity for at least three days.
Meanwhile, with support from its European Union partners, his ministry is working to bring 10,000 more Starlink stations to Ukraine, with internet service made available to the public through hundreds of “Points of Invincibility” that offer warm drinks, heated spaces, electricity and shelter for people displaced by fighting or power outages.
Roughly 24,000 Starlink stations already are in operation in Ukraine. Musk’s company, SpaceX, began providing them during the early days of the war after Fedorov tweeted a request to the billionaire.
“I just stood there on my knees, begging them to start working in Ukraine, and promised that we would make a world record,” he recalled.
Federov compared Space X’s donation of the satellite terminals to the U.S.-supplied multiple rocket launchers in terms of significance for Ukraine’s ability to mount a defense to Russia’s invasion.
“Thousands of lives were saved,” he said.
As well as the civilian applications, Starlink has helped front-line reconnaissance drone operators target artillery strikes on Russian assets and positions. Federov said his team is now dedicating 70% of its time to military technologies. The ministry was created only three years ago.
Providing the army with drones is among its main tasks.
“We need to do more than what is expected of us, and progress does not wait,” Federov said, scoffing at Russian skill in the domain of drones. “I don’t believe in their technological potential at all.”
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Edotco sets up 15,000th tower in Bangladesh
Malaysia-based integrated telecommunications infrastructure services company Edotco recently set up its 15,000th tower in Bangladesh.
Ahammad Jubaer Ali, caretaker country managing director of Edotco, said: "Along with actively collaborating with other industry participants in Bangladesh's telecom ecosystem, we are advancing the sector by supplying the necessary shared infrastructure and next-generation technology."
Read more: Robi signs tower-sharing deal with Teletalk, Summit
"A monument to our ability and capability to meet customers' expectations and dedication in ensuring equal network access across the country is our achievement of the 15,000 towers milestone despite numerous global and economic obstacles."
Edotco Bangladesh has been at the forefront of the country's tower infrastructure landscape since 2013. It provides end-to-end solutions in the tower services sector – from tower leasing, co-locations, and build-to-suit to energy management, and passive maintenance.
Read mroe: Bangladesh is one of the key Asian markets: edotco Group CEO
Since its inception, the company has continued shaping the telecom industry across the region by providing innovative and sustainable infra solutions. Bamboo towers, low-cost solutions, hybrid solar-wind towers, span prestressed concrete towers, and smart pole street furniture are some of the innovations of Edotco.
Specialised knowledge-sharing centre: Huawei Bangladesh Academy launched in Dhaka
Huawei has launched a specialised knowledge-sharing centre, Huawei Bangladesh Academy, in Dhaka.
This 7,000 square feet facility is equipped with advanced technological equipment for knowledge sharing.
The worldwide business case scenarios of the latest ICT innovations, engineering courses, solutions, and more – what Huawei has got with its significant investment in research and development for more than 30 years will be showcased here to the government technical officers, telco operators, academicians, CSE/EEE students, and overall ecosystem partners.
Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar inaugurated the centre through an event organised at Bay's Galleria in Gulshan Thursday.
Read: 'China's Tianjin Port now smarter, more efficient, thanks to Huawei'
Jabbar said: "The establishment of Huawei Bangladesh Academy has attested to the fact that Bangladesh has been qualified to become the talent hub. On the other hand, Huawei has significant numbers of patents with its huge investment in research and development and this company has been making commendable efforts in developing the ICT industry of Bangladesh by contributing to the development of our telecommunication sector by equipping Bangladesh with their latest innovations."
“The demographic dividend in Bangladesh has been a great example to the world while China can share its expertise in the technical field with the country. Huawei is one of the best tech companies in China and it is leading the ICT industry of the world with its significant investment in research and development," Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming said at the event.
Read: Huawei launches all-band 5G solution series
"I am happy to see Huawei working here in Bangladesh, for Bangladesh for more than 23 years, and facilitating this country with its acquired knowledge. This Huawei Bangladesh Academy is an important step for the ecosystem players of Bangladesh."
Pan Junfeng, CEO of Huawei Technologies Bangladesh, said: "We believe our knowledge and expertise can be helpful for the growth of Bangladesh in association with the help of the ecosystem partners. Our latest initiative is the Huawei Bangladesh Academy can be a hub for knowledge and experience sharing and bringing global cases into a discussion in this country."