The global information and communication networks are called information super highway. These cover internet and switching systems such as telephone, cable television, satellite communication networks etc. and all types of digital information at high speed
Like many developed and developing countries, the internet in Bangladesh has witnessed a phenomenal growth. The number of internet subscriptions in Bangladesh grew from 1, 86,000 in 2000 to 6,17,300 in 2009. By 2011, however, the number of internet users in Bangladesh grew over 900 per cent bringing the total number of users to 55,01,509 (3.5 per cent of the total population) mainly due to wide availability of mobile internet access.
Benefits of information are many. It is now easy to find educational resources, up-to-date news, copies of important documents and photos and research information on topics ranging from weather conditions to population statistics. Online encyclopedia and other reference materials and access to experts, increasing reading skills by providing access to interesting materials and suggestions for additional reading can be made available.
At this moment, information technology is the most dynamic sector. It is leading the way. We are optimistic about Bangladesh getting to the frontline of information super highway.
The internet's speed in Bangladesh is among the slowest in the world. As of August 2012, Bangladesh ranked 168th out of 184 countries on the household download index by net index. Bangladesh is slowly moving up in the world-wide ICT ranking, rising from 130th in 2009 to 113th in 2012 in the 'networked readiness index'.
Bangladesh has officially joined the second submarine cable South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe-5 (SEA-ME-WE-5) and hopes to get connected to it by the first quarter of 2016. It will be a high-class connectivity of both data and voice between Southeast Asia and Western Europe. The country will get an additional bandwidth of 1400 Gigabyte per second (Gbps) from the second submarine cable and will always be online even if one connection goes down. The SEA-ME-WE-5 system will deliver an ultimate design capacity of 24 Terabyte per second (Tbps). The system will Span 20,000 km connecting Singapore to France via Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Italy. It will deliver ultra-broadband capacity and faster access to consumers and business.
Installation of the second submarine cable was scheduled to be completed by December, 2014. The installation work is progressing fast and it will connect Bangladesh through the landing station situated in Patuakhali. Construction work of the landing station has been progressing so far at expected level.
The Bangladesh Submarine Cable Limited (BSCCL) is the core telecommunication service provider and international submarine cable operator of Bangladesh. The BSCCL will soon start operations as IIG (International Internet Gateway) which would help the people get broadband internet with cheaper rates and better quality of service. It is one of the growing companies in the telecom sector of the country and is contributing to the revenue earning of the government of Bangladesh. It is a leading company implementing national ICT policies to develop modern tele-network and high speed broadband internet in Bangladesh. The submarine cable network is expected to be the main telecommunication infrastructure for 'Digital Bangladesh', by the year 2021.
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