Communication system plays an important role in the economic development of any country. The development activities of a country depend on the communication system. Improving the communication system makes it easier to move agricultural products, industrial raw materials and manufactured goods easily and at low cost. As a result, the country's production increased, industry and trade expanded. Therefore, communication system is considered as a tool of economic development.
*Current state of communication system in Bangladesh:
Although Bangladesh is small in size, various features exist here. It is difficult to build an improved communication system in this country as rivers, canals, beels and haors are full. There are many differences between the northern part of Bangladesh and the southern part. People in the north depend on land for communication. Again the people of the south depend on waterways for communication. The weather in this country is not always the same. During the monsoon, most parts of the country go under water. As a result, there are problems in the communication system. Due to these different features of Bangladesh, various types of communication systems have been developed here. At present almost the whole country has been brought under the communication system.
*Types of communication systems:
With the advancement of science and technology, the world is entering the era of communication and information revolution. Man is overcoming all his obstacles and limitations and connecting himself to the highway of communication. Communication and development have become synonymous in today's world. The media used in the communication system of Bangladesh are given below-
*Railways:
The first 52.7 km railway from Darshana to Jagati was launched on 15 November 182 in Bangladesh. There are usually 3 types of railways. These are meter gauge, broad gauge and dual gauge or mixed gauge. The first intercity train service was launched in Bangladesh in 1986. On 4 December 2011, a separate Ministry of Railways was formed to improve the railway system. At present there are about 441 railway stations in Bangladesh. The importance of railways for communication with the capital, cities and ports of the country is immense. According to the 2013 Economic Survey, the total length of railways in Bangladesh is 26 km. Of these, 1643 km is gauge, 659 km is broad gauge and 365 km is dual or mixed gauge.
*Roads:
Roads of Bangladesh occupy an important place in the communication system at present. But the road system of our country is not developed enough. BRTC is the name of the government company engaged in road transport in Bangladesh. It was established in 1971. According to the report of Bangladesh Economic Survey 2013, the country has 3585 km of national highways, 4323 km of regional highways and 136 km of district roads. However, despite the recent improvement in road connectivity, it has not yet been possible to build a complete road network.
*Waterways:
Waterways have a special contribution in the transport system of Bangladesh. As a river-mother country, it is of utmost importance in the internal transport system. The name of Bangladesh Shipping Company is 'Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority'. At present the length of river in Bangladesh is 6400 km. The length of navigable river in Bangladesh is 5200 km throughout the year. Steamers, launches, cargo, engine driven boats and ordinary boats ply the waterways. It also contributes to the transportation of passengers and goods in the country. About 75% of the total passengers and goods of our country are transported by sea.
*By Air:
It is possible to travel to any part of the world by air. Biman Bangladesh Airlines was established on 4 January 1982. There are 3 international airports in Bangladesh. These are Hazrat Shahjalal (Rah.) International Airport in Dhaka, Shah-Amanat International Airport in Chittagong and Osmani International Airport in Sylhet. Shah Jalal International Airport was opened in 1980. Bangladesh has domestic airports at Jessore, Cox's Bazar, Barisal, Rajshahi, Ishwardi, Syedpur and Thakurgaon. The first private airline was launched on 16 July 1995 to improve the air transport in Bangladesh. Among the private airlines are Aerobengal Airlines, GMG Airlines, Best Aviation and Air Parabat.