Historical Milestone of the Third Submarine Cable signed for Digital Advancement

The implementation of the third submarine cable of the country has started. The formal launch of Bangladesh's accession to the third submarine cable began with the signing of a construction and maintenance agreement with the SEA-ME-WE consortium and the consortium's suppliers to implement the much-anticipated third submarine cable project by Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL). Secretary of the Department of Posts and Telecommunications and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bangladesh Submarine Company Limited Md. Afzal Hossain signed the agreement on behalf of the submarine cable company in the presence of The Minister of Posts and Telecommunications, Mustafa Jabbar at Hotel Intercontinental in Dhaka held on Thursday night. The member organizations of the consortium will sign similar agreements on behalf of their respective organizations from their respective countries and send them to the temporary headquarters of the consortium in Singapore by 30 September. Secretary of Posts and Telecommunications Md. Afzal Hossain, BTRC Chairman Shyam Sundar Sikder and Project Director of SEA-ME-WE 6 Project Kamal Ahmed spoke on the occasion while BSCCL Managing Director Mashiur Rahman presided over the function. Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Mr. Mustafa Jabbar said that, SEA-ME-WE 6 will make an unimaginable contribution in establishing uninterrupted connectivity with the digital world by meeting the growing demand for digital connectivity in the days to come and this will be a revolutionary change in the development of digital connectivity in the country. He referred to Submarine Cable as one of the most essential telecommunication infrastructures in the country. He said, In 1992, the then government withdrew its offer of submarine cable connection to Bangladesh for 14 years, leaving Bangladesh behind in the world of information technology. A high-speed broadband connection is being provided in every union of the country including Char areas and remote hilly areas. He further said, only 8 Gbps internet was used in the country in 2008 and there were only 6 lakh users. Mr. Mustafa Jabbar, the promoter of Bangla language in computer, said that at present 110 million people in the country are using internet and 2600 Gbps bandwidth is being used. The third submarine cable connection for Bangladesh is another historic achievement of Bangladesh in the world of digital technology. Heroic freedom fighter Mr. Mustafa Jabbar also said, Bangladesh entered the era of international telecommunication connectivity on June 14, 1975 under the patronage of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Apart from setting up a ground satellite center at Betbunia, Bangabandhu has sown the seeds of digital Bangladesh by establishing ITU, UPU membership and T&T board. The minister said Digital Bangladesh has set an example to the world today as a result of various groundbreaking programs under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and under the guidance of Sajeeb Ahmed Wazed, Information and Communication Technology Adviser to the Prime Minister. As US President, Barack Obama has called on his native Kenya to follow the Bangladesh that Henry Kissinger despised as US Secretary of State. This is the achievement of Bangladesh - the story of Bangladesh moving forward under the visionary leadership of Sheikh Hasina. Mr. Mustafa Jabbar, a pioneer in the development of digital technology, launched Bangabandhu Satellite-2 into space, Highlighting the success of the Department of Posts and Quoting that `Telecommunications in implementing the promises made in the election manifesto for launching the 5G network and connecting the third submarine cable'; He said, "We have been working since 2019 to implement the promise." It was approved at the ECNEC meeting in December 2020. The subsequent global corona epidemic caused considerable delays in the selection of suppliers by the consortium. As a result, the consortium's proposed functions were scheduled to be launched by December 2021, but were postponed to the fourth quarter of 2024. BCCL Managing Director Mashiur Rahman said, “In the first quarter of 2017, BSCCL launched the country's second submarine cable at Kuakata. The capacity of this cable is much higher than the first cable. However, soon after taking over the charge of the Department of Posts and Telecommunications, the Hon'ble Minister, Mr. Mustafa Jabbar Sir, told me that with the expansion of broadband services in the country, the capacity of the second submarine cable would soon run out. With that, he told me to quickly take the initiative to connect to a third submarine cable. "Today, more than 2600 Gbps international bandwidth is being used in the country," he said. Of which BSCCL alone is providing about 1650 Gbps bandwidth. Note that the first submarine cable was commissioned in the first half of 2006 in the country. By 2024, the country will need more than 6,000 Gbps of international bandwidth. In the meantime, a new agreement has been signed with BSNL, a state-owned company in India, to export 10 Gbps bandwidth. BSCCL has also signed two agreements with Saudi Arabia and France for long-term leasing of unused bandwidth to the west of Europe, the second submarine cable, and an agreement is in the process of being signed with Malaysia. The 15 companies participating in the SEE ME WE consortium include Singtel Singapore, BSCCL Bangladesh, Telecom Malaysia, SLT Sri Lanka, Dhiragu Maldives, NITUI India, TWA Pakistan, Jibati Telecom, Jibati. Mobilink-Saudi Arabia and China Mobile International,