The telecom regulator plans to invite fresh bids from the private sector for the installation of a separate submarine cable to provide internet connectivity.
The bidding process is set to start by the middle of the year, said Sunil Kanti Bose, chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.
“BTRC will invite bids after assessing the market potential.”
The commission is giving more importance to the business process outsourcing and call center businesses, for which a dedicated submarine cable is needed, Bose said.
Furthermore, the regulator has taken the initiative to explore new business opportunities for the private sectors, he said.
Abubakar Siddique, telecom secretary-in-charge, said the issue has not been discussed with the telecom ministry yet but he believes the ministry will consider it when the proposal comes.
A similar process started in 2011, but the telecom regulator received only one bid at that time.
In May 2011, a consortium of five local telecom companies — Mir Holdings, BanglaTrac Communication, HRC Technologies, Advanced Data Networks Systems and Agni Systems — offered to install the submarine cable at $70 million.
The regulator evaluated the offer but did not go ahead with the proposal.
Bangladesh’s internet depends on the SEA-ME-SE 4 cable with a capacity of 165 gigabits per second, and people are using 32 Gbps, he said.
The government issued six licences last year to install international terrestrial cables, which will work as a back-up.
-With The Daily Star input
