• State-owned Bangladesh Submarine Cable PLC (BSCPLC) has refuted claims of an international data capacity shortage
• The claims and counterclaims come as Bangladesh’s first private subsea network faces bureaucratic challenges that could delay its launch 

Having been backed into a corner by media-fuelled complaints that available international bandwidth on state-owned Bangladesh Submarine Cable PLC (BSCPLC) can be as rare as hen’s teeth, the publicly listed utility, which is overseen by the country’s Posts and Telecommunications ministry, has been stung into a reaction. 

The Daily Star reported that BSCPLC issued a “clarification statement” emphasising there is “absolutely” no shortage of international bandwidth supply in Bangladesh, with 4,200 Gbit/s of capacity in place and an additional 3,000 Gbit/s “available for allocation” via two subsea cables, namely SEA-ME-WE-4 and SEA-ME-WE-5. 

And to meet anticipated future demand, BSCPLC is investing in a third “trusted cable” project (SEA-ME-WE-6) that is due to be operational by the end of 2026. 

“BSCPLC is fully prepared to meet both current and future international bandwidth demands. There is no shortage at present or in the foreseeable future,” the company noted in its statement. 

When the new SEA-ME-WE-6 festoon is completed, BSCPLC will be able to provide some 30,000 GBit/s of international capacity via connections from the Cox’s Bazar landing site on the Kolatoli beach in Bangladesh to Singapore, Mumbai, France and out to the rest of the world. 

The “clarification” from BSCPLC came after what the company called “misleading, inaccurate and baseless” media reports alleging a shortage of international bandwidth. The BSCPLC is urging operators and service providers not to be swayed by “misleading information” and to continue “to support the nation’s digital progress by sourcing bandwidth from trusted submarine cable systems to ensure safe and reliable international connectivity for Bangladesh.” 

Is there more to this situation than meets the eye? It’s possible. The first private sector submarine cable project connecting the country to the rest of the world, the $135m Bangladesh Private Cable System (BPCS) that is set to run from Cox’s Bazar to connect with the existing and operational UMO cable system that runs from Myanmar to Singapore, is reportedly facing an increasing number of hurdles as byzantine “procedural loops” and other bureaucratic problems pile up and threaten to delay the inauguration of the new privately funded link that is planned for August 2026. The new cable is owned by CdNet Communications, Metacore Subcom and Summit Communications.

– Martyn Warwick, Editor in Chief, TelecomTV