Telecom tower company edotco Group has utilized bamboo in the construction of a telecom tower – in Bangladesh.

The bamboo telecom tower was developed in collaboration with Bangladesh University of Engineering (BUET) and deployed by edotco Bangladesh.

Syed Ishtiaq Ahmad, professor of Civil Engineering in BUET, focused on the design and viability of bamboo as an alternative material to traditional steel structures in telecommunications.

“Feasibility studies showed that bamboo is a good material choice for telecoms tower due to its properties. We thank edotco for believing in such an initiative that contributes to nation building and conservation of the environment,” said Syed Ishtiaq Ahmad of BUET.

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. Bamboo being inherently light, allows for easy transportation and installation of structures on rooftops without putting any additional stress on the building.

The deployed structure underwent a chemical treatment as a measure to protect it from termite and mould attacks as well as adverse climate conditions. To ensure the successful deployment of the bamboo telecoms tower, edotco has trialed the unique solution at an experimental demo site in Kanchpur, Dhaka last December.

“The bamboo telecoms tower is our latest innovation which we conceptualised utilising natural, sustainable resources to build telecommunications infrastructure to lessen the impact on the environment,” said Suresh Sidhu, CEO of edotco Group.

edotco intends to roll out more bamboo structures as proof of concepts (P.O.C) in several other areas in Dhaka in 2017; by 2018, edotco will take this solution to other markets where edotco operates and where bamboo resources are available.