TRNB workshop highlights urgency to deploy private cables to avoid massive bandwidth deficit
Private Submarine Cables to Cut Internet Costs 50%
- Private submarine cables promise up to 50% lower bandwidth prices and 30% quality improvement
- National bandwidth consumption surges 260-fold, with a projected 20 Tbps deficit by 2028
- Experts urge fast-tracking proposed 51 Tbps private consortium cables to curb Indian ITC reliance
Commercial deployment of approved private submarine cable systems could reduce wholesale and retail internet bandwidth prices across Bangladesh by up to 50 percent while enhancing network quality by 25 to 30 percent, according to industry stakeholders. Operators also project substantial drops in latency alongside a 20 to 30 percent increase in national internet adoption.
The projections were highlighted at a specialized workshop titled "Necessity of New Submarine Cables to Protect Digital Sovereignty and Meet Future Bandwidth Demand," organized by the Telecom and Technology Reporters Network, Bangladesh (TRNB) at a resort near Dhaka on Monday, 31 August 2026. Chaired by TRNB President Masuduzzaman Robin, the inaugural address was delivered by General Secretary Faruk Hossain.
Speaking at the session, Metacore Subcom Limited Chief Executive Officer Mohammad Aminul Hakim said, "Integrating private submarine cables will safeguard Bangladesh's digital sovereignty. Fostering healthy market competition will slash bandwidth pricing by approximately 50 percent while mitigating supply bottlenecks." Addressing consortium concerns, Hakim clarified that global systems like SEA-ME-WE-4 operate via consortiums, yet licensed entities—such as CDNet, Metacore, and Summit—will compete directly against one another. He emphasized that the primary competitor for local cable operators remains cross-border International Terrestrial Cable (ITC) links importing bandwidth from India.
The keynote presentations were delivered by CDNet Communications Limited CEO Mashiur Rahman and Metacore Subcom Limited Project Lead Mahmud Shahed, with Metacore Subcom Managing Director Ahmed Junaed in attendance.
Data presented at the workshop revealed that Bangladesh's bandwidth usage surged 260-fold over the past 13 years, rising from 50 Gbps in 2013 to approximately 13.5 Tbps in 2026. Bandwidth forecasts project demand reaching 19.1 Tbps in 2027, 27 Tbps in 2028, 54 Tbps in 2030, and 432 Tbps by 2036. Currently, state infrastructure relies on two active subsea routes—SEA-ME-WE-4 and SEA-ME-WE-5—offering a combined capacity of just 7.1 Tbps, forcing heavy reliance on terrestrial imports.
Comparative data shows that India connects to 19 submarine cables, Malaysia to 23, and Thailand to 12. With SEA-ME-WE-4 approaching its operational sunset by 2030, delays in SEA-ME-WE-6 could leave Bangladesh facing a 20 Tbps deficit by 2028. Experts warned that failing to fast-track private sector subsea systems aggregating 51 Tbps capacity risks repeating the strategic misstep of missing the SEA-ME-WE-3 cable in the 1990s.
//DBTech/HHTP/MIST//
