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The world’s first telecom tower made from bamboo

During the last decades, bamboo has become a popular material. That is not so strange, since bamboo has some great qualities. It is a renewable resource, grows incredibly fast, up to a metre per day, and can be used to make all sorts of products, from fabric to complete houses and even skyscrapers. In addition, bamboo has a strength that rivals steel. This interesting property has led telecom company Edotco to collaborate with researchers at the Bangladesh University of Engineering to create a telecom tower made entirely from bamboo.

Untreated bamboo has the ability to bear the weight of concrete while possessing the rigidity and tensile strength to support its own weight. It can withstand gusts of up to 210 km/h (130 mph), with an expected lifespan of approximately 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. In addition, 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.

The first bamboo telecom tower was erected in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Bangladesh has plenty of natural resources, including bamboo, so it is a local material as well.

Edotco intends to roll out more bamboo structures as proof of concepts in several other areas in Dhaka in 2017. By 2018, they will take this solution to other markets where the company operates and where bamboo resources are available.

Photos: Edotco / Wikimedia

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