Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
India’s state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has discontinued importing internet bandwidth from Bangladesh for its northeastern states from midnight on October 21, officials confirmed.
BSNL had been receiving 10 Gbps through the Akhaura link under an agreement with Bangladesh Submarine Cables PLC (BSCPLC). The deal, signed in 2015, had faced repeated interruptions over “financial difficulties” on the Indian side. The link, crucial for internet connectivity in India’s “Seven Sisters” region, was initially restored in 2021 after a temporary halt in 2020.
BSCPLC said it currently operates two submarine cables with 7,200 Gbps total capacity and plans to launch its third, SEA-ME-WE-6, by late 2026, adding 30,000 Gbps through routes connecting Singapore, Mumbai, and France.
Bangladesh, which began importing bandwidth from India in 2012, now sources about half of its 8,500 Gbps domestic consumption from Indian operators. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) capped such imports at 50% this year to reduce dependency.