By 2025, the demand for internet bandwidth in the country will reach 34 thousand gbps. Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL) has taken steps to double its capacity by increasing the investment cost by only 45% so that the country does not fall into internet bandwidth crisis, taking the forecast of Telecommunication Regulatory Commission-BTRC in Bangladesh seriously. The decision was taken by the BSCCL board of directors on Sunday at an Extra-ordinary General Meeting (EGM). Company authorities informed the matter to the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) on Monday.
According to the relevant sources, the implementation of the third submarine cable was undertaken to make the internet system of the country uninterrupted. The construction and maintenance agreement with the SEA-ME-WE-6 consortium and the agreement with the consortium’s suppliers were signed on September 23 last year to implement the much-anticipated project. The target is to launch the third submarine cable by 2024.
At first, the cost for the third submarine cable was estimated at Tk 562 crore. Now that the project has been decided to expand, the cost has been fixed at Tk 812 crore. In other words, the cost of the third submarine cable has increased by Tk 250 crore.
In this regard, BSCCL Managing Director AKM Habibur Rahman told DigiBangla that the third submarine cable expansion will increase the bandwidth capacity to 13,200 gbps. This capacity was initially set at 6,600 gbps. But the board has decided to expand the third submarine cable project as there is no other way to increase bandwidth from BTRC’s market demand growth analysis. As a result, even if the cost increases by 45%, the bandwidth capacity will double. And this cost is basically an increase in investment.
Explaining the rationale for the project expansion, he said the cabling has been going on for 25 years. The bandwidth that we have and that was supposed to be added will not be able to meet even half the demand.
He said that BSCCL is now preparing to approve the project in the Ministry of Planning after Eid and submit it to the consortium.
The 15 companies participating in the SEA-ME-WE-6 consortium include: SingTel Singapore, BSCCL Bangladesh, Telecom Malaysia, SLT Sri Lanka, Dhiragu Maldives, NI2I India, TWA Pakistan, Djibouti Telecom, Mobilink- Saudi Arabia, China Mobile International, China Telecom Telecom Global Limited China, Unicom China, Microsoft- United States, Telecom Egypt and Orange France.
The first submarine cable was commissioned in the country in the first half of 2006. By 2024, the country will need more than 6,000 gbps of international bandwidth. Meanwhile, a new agreement has been signed with Indian state-owned BSNL 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 pipeline of being signed with Malaysia.
