Bandwidth export to India from next week
BSS
Bangladesh is set to start transmission of bandwidth export formally to India next week this month in line with a bilateral deal struck earlier this year, which would pave the way to the country to earn over Tk 9 crore annually, said officials, reports BSS.
The formal export of the bandwidth will begin in any day of the next week to Tripura through the northeastern Akhaura-Agartala frontier, state-run Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL) Managing Director Monwar Hossain told the news agency yesterday.
Both the countries are waiting for the schedules of the concern ministers of two sides . . . after getting time from the ministers, we will go for the formal start immediately, he added.
BSCCL officials earlier said the two neighbours set up structural links for bandwidth transmission on November 16 connecting BTCLs optical fibre at zero point on the border.
But, the trial transmission was delayed as India could not complete technical preparations to receive the bandwidth, they said. BSCCL is now transmitting 200 mbps bandwidth transmission on trial basis since the first week of December last year overcoming all the technical glitches. During Indian Prime Minister Norendra Modis visit to Bangladesh, the state-owned BSCCL struck a deal with Indian state-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for exporting bandwidth. According to the agreement, BSNL would import 10 gbps bandwidth for Tripura state from September this year, but the export had been fixed one month ahead in August. Later, the deadline was missed due to incomplete preparation, especially from Indian side.
The payment would have to be made at the beginning of each quarter and Bangladesh will earn Tk 9.6 crore a year by exporting bandwidth to India.
The deal is for a year and it can be extended for two more years, said BSCCL officials. They also informed that bandwidth price will be reviewed after a year.
Meanwhile, two more Indian states- Assam and Meghalaya, have shown interest in importing bandwidth from Bangladesh. The BSCCL, which manages the countrys lone submarine cable having over 200 gbps bandwidth, has the capacity to export bandwidth up to 50 gbps after meeting domestic demand. Now, Bangladesh is consuming only 33 per cent of the total bandwidth. The countrys demand for bandwidth may reach 210 gbps by 2021.
Besides, Bangladesh will be connected with second undersea cable by 2016 to get another 1300 gbps bandwidth.
Since the lifetime of Bangladeshs submarine cable will end within the next 12 years, there is no other alternative to exporting bandwidth.
