edotco, the First Towerco to Deploy Innovative Bamboo Telecom Tower
edotcoGroup(“edotco”)recentlybecamethefirsttowercotoutilisebamboointheconstructionofatelecomstower,whichwasinstalledonarooftopintheUttara regionofDhaka,Bangladesh.
DevelopedincollaborationwithBangladeshUniversityofEngineering(BUET)anddeployedby edotcoBangladeshCo.Ltd.,thenoteworthyuseofthisrenewableresourcekeepsinpacewith thepulseofinnovationwhichisintheDNAofedotco.Thismilestonealsoreinforcededotco’s footholdattheforefrontofsustainableandgreenengineering.
TheresearchanddevelopmentwhichwasledbyProfessorDr.SyedIshtiaqAhmad,Professor ofCivilEngineeringinBUET,focusedonthedesignandviabilityofbambooasanalternative materialtotraditionalsteelstructuresintelecommunications.
Professor Dr. Syed Ishtiaq Ahmad of BUET commented, “We are very pleased to see the installation of the first bamboo telecoms tower in our country. Bangladesh is a country with plentyofnaturalresources,includingbamboowhichisarenewablematerial.Beingabletouse these resources in efforts to contribute to the country’s technological progress is a natural courseofactiontotake.Feasibilitystudiesshowedthatbambooisagoodmaterialchoicefor telecoms tower due to its properties. We thank edotco for believing in such an initiative that contributestonationbuildingandconservationoftheenvironment.”
Studies indicated that untreated bamboo has the ability to bear the weight of concrete while possessing the rigidity and tensile strength to support its own weight, making it a material for telecom structure. It can withstand gusts of up to 210km/h, with an expected lifespan of approx. 10 years with proper maintenance. A bamboo tower takes around 12 days to construct, and consumes less energy to manufacture compared to traditional steel towers. The structure has a capacity to house up to 8 antennas at a time, enabling co-location.
As an added bonus, bamboo being inherently light, allows for easy transportation and installationofstructuresonrooftopswithoutputtinganyadditionalstressonthebuilding.The deployedstructureunderwentachemicaltreatmentasameasuretoprotectitfromtermiteand mouldattacksaswellasadverseclimateconditions.Toensurethesuccessfuldeploymentof the bamboo telecoms tower, edotco has trialed the unique solution at an experimental demo siteinKanchpur,DhakalastDecember.
“edotco is always experimenting with materials and innovative solutions to address the challenges of the telecommunications infrastructure industry. The bamboo telecoms tower is ourlatestinnovationwhichweconceptualisedutilisingnatural,sustainableresourcestobuild telecommunicationsinfrastructuretolessentheimpactontheenvironment.Wearepleasedthat we have developed this solution in partnership with BUET, and hope we can continue to collaborateinotherareas.It’salsotestamenttothequalityofhumancapitalinBangladeshthat wewereabletopioneerthisinDhaka”saidSureshSidhu,CEOofedotcoGroup.
edotcointendstorolloutmorebamboostructuresasproofofconcepts(P.O.C)inseveralother areasinDhakain2017;by2018,edotcowilltakethissolutiontoothermarketswhereedotcooperatesandwherebambooresourcesareavailable.
