Bangladesh takes Tk 6.6 billion project to hook up to the second submarine cable

The government has got going with a project to connect Bangladesh to the second international submarine cable to deliver better ICT services.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the Regional Submarine Telecommunication Project for connection to the South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe-5 (SEA-ME-WE-5) submarine cable.

According to the project paper, the 25,000-kilometre cables would be installed under sea from Singapore to Bangladesh through Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Myanmar under the Tk 6.6 billion project.

The submarine cable system is operated by an international consortium of 16 companies from 14 countries.

They are France, Italy, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Myanmar.

The consortium will lay cables up to Cox’s Bazar from where Bangladesh will connect them to Kuakata landing station in Patuakhali.

Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL) will implement the project under which the landing station will be set up on a 10-acre land.

The project paper says Bangladesh will stay hooked up to the ICT highway through the second submarine cable if the first one gets cut off.

Bangladesh will have 1300gbps bandwidth at its disposal and connection to the second submarine cable will facilitate 4G services, it says.

Of the project cost, the government will provide Tk 1.66 billion and BSCCL Tk 1.42 billion. Tk 3.52 billion come in project assistance.

Bangladesh got connected to the first submarine cable, SEA-ME-WE-4, in 2005.