Staff Reporter : Bangladesh University Grants Commission (UGC), the Ministry of Education, and BRACNet Limited have signed a landmark agreement under the Higher Education Acceleration and Transformation (HEAT) Project today, marking the beginning of a major digital transformation initiative across public universities in Bangladesh.
Under the project titled “Establishment of Modern Network Equipment and Wi-Fi Infrastructure at Public Universities,” BRACNet Limited will deploy state-of-the-art wired and wireless connectivity at 27 public universities, starting with eight core institutions — Maulana Bhasani Science and Technology University (MBSTU), Rajshahi University of Engineering&Technology (RUET), Patuakhali Science&Technology University (PUST), Islamic University (IU), Chittagong University of Engineering&Technology (CUET), Rangamati Science&Technology University (RmSTU), and Gopalganj Science and Technology University (GSTU), Jagannath University (JNU)— with phased rollouts across additional campuses.
The project encompasses the installation of 4,000+ faceplates, distribution/access switches, wireless access points, LAN controllers, cloud-based networking solutions, and wired/wireless internet in 4,331 rooms, ultimately supporting more than 60,000 students, faculty members and researchers across 27 campuses.
The agreement was signed by Professor Dr. Asaduzzaman, Project Director, HEAT Project, on behalf of UGC, and Md. Mukarram Husain, General Manager&Head of Operations,
BRACNet Limited, alongside senior officials of both organizations. Also present from the HEAT Project were Professor Khurshid Alam, Deputy Project Director; Abu Taleb Md. Munir, Head of Procurement; AKM Muklesur Rahman, Chief Implementation Officer; and Professor Dr. Shafiul Alam, BdREN Technical Specialist. From BRACNet Limited, the event was attended by Mr. Saifuddin Khaled, Head of Finance; Mr. Sabbir Hossain, Head of Strategy and Government Business; Mr. Sarfaraz Uddin, Head of Business Development and Mr. Shawkat Akbar Munshi, Head of Technology.
Project Director Professor Dr. Asaduzzaman said, “Once this agreement is implemented, the faculty and students of public universities will be able to align their research and education with modern global standards, thereby contributing to maintaining and enhancing the country’s academic excellence. I am confident that BRACNet, as a leading foreign-invested ICT company in Bangladesh, will execute this project with the highest level of professionalism and set a benchmark in the sector.” BRACNet General Manager Md. Mukarram Husain commented,
“BRACNet has long been committed to strengthening Bangladesh’s education ecosystem through technology. Following the successful delivery of pioneering solutions such as the ‘Smart Campus’ at BRAC University, we believe the HEAT Project presents a historic opportunity to deliver world-class networking infrastructure to public universities nationwide. We are fully dedicated to implementing this project with uncompromising transparency, accountability, quality, and innovation at every stage.”
The project is expected to accelerate teaching, learning and research capacities across Bangladesh’s public universities and further strengthen the country’s higher education ecosystem.