Bangladesh's growing dependence on international terrestrial cable (ITC) routes, particularly through India, is costing the country an estimated $45-50 million a year in bandwidth import, besides posing security risks. The country's international connectivity remains heavily reliant on just two submarine cables. But its international bandwidth consumption has surged from only 50 Gbps in 2013 to around 13.5 terabits in 2026 -- roughly a 260-fold increase in 13 years. Yet SEA-ME-WE-4 and SEA-ME-WE-5, the country's two main submarine cables, together offer capacity of only about 7.1 terabits.
Industry stakeholders warn that the growing gap between demand and domestic international capacity could leave Bangladesh increasingly dependent on India and expose its digital economy to connectivity disruptions. They estimate the bandwidth shortfall could reach 19.1 terabits by 2027 and 34 terabits by 2030.
They are, therefore, pressing the government to approve proposed private submarine cable projects, which they say could add around 50 terabits of capacity, increase competition and potentially reduce wholesale internet prices by up to 50 per cent.
Bandwidth demand boom:
Bangladesh's international bandwidth consumption had increased from 0.05 terabits in 2013 to 0.76 terabits in 2018, 1.78 terabits in 2020, 4.2 terabits in 2022 and 6.86 terabits in 2024. It has now reached approximately 13.5 terabits.
The sharp rise reflects a fundamental transformation in internet use. Video streaming, cloud computing, online education, digital payments, data centres, 5G and AI-based services are increasingly driving traffic, replacing traditional activities such as email and basic web browsing as major sources of bandwidth demand.
Industry projections suggest demand could reach 20 terabits in 2027, 27 terabits in 2028, 54 terabits in 2030 and around 432 terabits by 2036.
This would put enormous pressure on Bangladesh's international connectivity unless new capacity is brought online well ahead of demand.
Too much dependence on two cables: SEA-ME-WE-4 has a capacity of about 4.6 terabits, while SEA-ME-WE-5 provides around 2.5 terabits. Together, their capacity is about 7.1 terabits, with much of the remaining international bandwidth supplied through ITC routes.
The concentration also creates a major resilience risk. Bangladesh has only two international submarine- cable connections, compared with around 20 for India, eight for Sri Lanka, seven for Pakistan, 12 for Thailand, 23 for Malaysia, five for Vietnam and 19 for the Philippines.
Any major fault, cable cut or maintenance shutdown affecting either of Bangladesh's submarine cables can, therefore, put considerable pressure on the country's internet infrastructure. Some previous repairs have taken weeks and, in certain cases, more than two months.
Industry experts argue that greater diversification is essential for both reliable internet services and national digital resilience.
SEA-ME-WE-6 not enough:
The planned SEA-ME-WE-6 is expected to provide Bangladesh with a third submarine-cable connection, but stakeholders say it cannot by itself address the country's long-term needs.
SEA-ME-WE-4 is expected to reach the end of its operational life around 2030. Even with SEA-ME-WE-6, the remaining capacity could struggle to keep pace with demand, particularly if the new cable is delayed beyond 2030.
Documents indicate that the potential bandwidth deficit could reach around 34 terabits by 2030 and rise sharply thereafter.
Bangladesh lags regional peers:
Despite the rapid growth in total usage, Bangladesh's per-capita international bandwidth remains among the lowest in the region.
In 2025, Bangladesh's per-capita international bandwidth stood at 67.6 kbps, compared with 163.8 kbps in India, 248.4 kbps in Cambodia, 297.7 kbps in the Philippines, 360 kbps in Indonesia, 637.7 kbps in Vietnam and 775.4 kbps in Thailand.
Bangladesh's figure is projected to rise to 99.3 kbps in 2026, still only around one-fifth of the regional average of 502 kbps.
Stakeholders attribute the gap partly to limited international capacity and weak competition on the submarine- cable market.
Private cables could alter the equation: Industry stakeholders estimate that proposed private submarine cables could add around 50 terabits of capacity, taking total international capacity to roughly 57 terabits when combined with existing public infrastructure.
They argue that new cables would do more than address capacity shortages. Increased competition could lower wholesale bandwidth prices, improve service quality and encourage greater internet consumption. They estimate that consumer internet prices could eventually fall by up to 50 per cent.
Over the past 13 years, Bangladesh has reportedly spent around Tk 35.00-40.00 billion in foreign currency on bandwidth imports from India.
Avoiding another strategic mistake:
The current debate recalls Bangladesh's decision nearly three decades ago to miss the opportunity to join subsea cable SEA-ME-WE-3 free of charge - a decision whose consequences the country's IT sector says have been felt for years.
The concern now is that Bangladesh could repeat a similar strategic mistake by delaying new submarine- cable investments until capacity shortages become critical.
