Bangladesh has moved closer to launching its first privately led submarine cable network after the Bangladesh Private Cable System (BPCS) Consortium signed an agreement with Nokia to supply Submarine Line Terminal Equipment (SLTE). The agreement was signed at a ceremony in Dhaka, described by industry insiders as a milestone for private-sector participation in the country’s international connectivity infrastructure.
The deal was signed on behalf of the BPCS Consortium by Aminul Hakim, CEO of Metacore Subcom Limited; Arif Al Islam, Managing Director and CEO of Summit Communications Limited; and Md Mashiur Rahman, CEO of CdnNet Communications Limited. Nokia was represented by Prashant Malkani, Head of Sales Unit at Nokia India, and Suman Prasad, Senior Sales Account Director. Senior Nokia officials and foreign diplomats, including representatives from the European Union, Finland, and Japan, were also present, underlining the project’s international significance.
Consortium officials said Bangladesh’s current bandwidth usage stands at around 9,000 Gbps and is expected to rise to nearly 20,000 Gbps by mid-2027 and approximately 50,000 Gbps by 2030. To meet this demand, the consortium has already invested about Tk600 crore and plans to invest an additional Tk1,200–1,300 crore to deploy three cable pairs after June 2026.
Currently, more than 60% of Bangladesh’s bandwidth is sourced from India via international terrestrial cables, resulting in significant foreign currency outflows. The planned Singapore–Cox’s Bazar submarine cable route, featuring three cable pairs, is expected to reduce this dependence and strengthen Bangladesh’s bandwidth self-sufficiency.
Officials said Nokia’s SLTE technology will improve energy efficiency, reduce data centre space requirements, enhance network management, and strengthen cybersecurity by using the same vendor at both cable landing stations. These efficiencies are expected to lower operational costs and, over time, contribute to more affordable internet services for consumers as capacity expands.
