SASEC Information Highway to Enable Bangladesh to Export Bandwidth in BBIN Region
19 December 2015
A total of 58 kilometers of fiber optic cable have been installed from Panchagarh to Banglabandha in Bangladesh in preparation for the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Information Highway Project. This Asian Development Bank (ADB)-supported information highway will enable Bangladesh to share its network by exporting at least 50 gbps of bandwidth to Bhutan, northeast India, and Nepal, said an official from Bangladesh's ICT Division. Siliguri in India’s West Bengal state will be the International Internet Gateway for the subregional network.
An initial 10 gbps will first be exported to India's northeast. This could generate around $1.23 million a year for the Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited. Later, exports will be increased to 40 gbps. The Indian states of Assam and Meghalaya, as well as Bhutan, have also expressed interest to import bandwidth.
Bangladesh has a bandwidth capacity of over 200 gbps, and anticipates construction of a second undersea cable by 2016, with 1400 gbps capacity. Bhutan and Nepal have completed the necessary construction for optical fiber networking, and like works in India are ongoing.
Bangladesh has a bandwidth capacity of over 200 gbps, and is anticipating construction of a second undersea cable by 2016, with 1400 gbps capacity.
Officials of the BBIN countries will discuss the internet connectivity deal in Bhutan.
Approved by ADB in 2007, the $18 million SASEC Information Highway Project aims to facilitate bandwidth export and network sharing in the Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal subregion. This project will make ICT more accessible, affordable, inclusive, sustainable, and useful to remote and rural communities, entrepreneurs, and research and training institutes in all SASEC countries. It will deliver and facilitate modern broadband information, communication, and knowledge services within and across borders to governments, businesses, research institutes, and rural and remote communities. It is expected to help the SASEC countries improve their productivity and efficiency and participate fully in the global information economy.
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