Private submarine cables proposed to cut bandwidth costs

Industry stakeholders have called for greater competition in Bangladesh's international connectivity infrastructure to reduce bandwidth prices and render internet services more affordable for consumers, proposing private investment in submarine cables, open and non-discriminatory access to landing stations, and multiple international connectivity options.

The proposals emerged at a seminar titled "Affordable Internet for All and Tech Giants' Investment in Bangladesh: Current Challenges and Ways Forward," organised by the Telecom and Technology Reporters Network Bangladesh (TRNB) in Dhaka on Tuesday. Speakers said Bangladesh Submarine Cables PLC (BSCPLC) occupies a dominant position within the international bandwidth infrastructure, thereby constraining competition and adversely affecting bandwidth prices, service quality and consumer-level internet services. According to a presentation delivered at the event, BSCPLC has invested Tk 819.5 crore in the SEA-ME-WE-4 and SEA-ME-WE-5 submarine cables and generated upwards of Tk 3,000 crore in revenue between 2008 and 2026, with net profit exceeding Tk 1,362 crore.

The seminar further noted that bandwidth prices had fallen substantially, from Tk 75,000 per Mbps in 2006 to Tk 500 in 2016 and Tk 120 this year. Analysts contended that the price could decline further still, to Tk 60–70 per Mbps by 2027, provided private submarine cables foster open competition; conversely, such reductions may remain unattainable should BSCPLC's dominant position persist. Bangladesh currently utilises around 13,500 Gbps of international bandwidth, which underpins services and infrastructure operated by global technology companies such as Google, Meta, Akamai and Cloudflare.

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Moreover, speakers observed that limited international connectivity, unreliable power supply and policy constraints were creating obstacles to investment by major technology firms and hyperscalers. Metacore Subcom CEO Aminul Hakim consequently called for greater competition, arguing that private investment could curb the existing monopoly and ultimately redound to the benefit of consumers.