Khulna-Chennai route selected for 2nd submarine cable
Monday, 2 November 2009
The post and telecommunications ministry has selected the route for second submarine cable from Mongla of Khulna to Chennai in India, reports BSS.
The ministry has sent a proposal on the route to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Post and Telecommunications Secretary Sunil Kanti Bose told the news agency Sunday.
He said the government had taken the initiative to connect the country with a second submarine cable to keep safe its connectivity with the information super highway.
The existing submarine cable line has reached Dhaka through Jhilangja station in
Cox's Bazar, but the cable line gets cut very often, disconnecting the country from the information super highway.
Therefore, the government, as an alternative measure, has taken the project of the second submarine cable as a priority.
Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Managing Director Manowar Hossain said the Khulna-Chennai submarine cable route would be 115-kilometre long. The estimated cost of the project will be 48 million US dollars.
He said presently there are three submarine cables in the sea in Chennai in India and Bangladesh would get connected with one of these three.
The post and telecommunications secretary said a meeting had already been held at the PMO on the proposal of the second submarine cable route.
International tender would be invited for the project and efforts were on to get donors' assistance for the project, he added.
The Asian Development Bank gave financial assistance for the first submarine cable station in Cox's Bazar.
The secretary said a Cybernet would be set up at Panchagarh under the 'South East Asia Sub-Regional Cooperation'. India, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh are members of the regional cooperation.
BTCL Managing Director SM Khabiruzzaman said work on setting up fibre optic links across the country would begin within the next year to expand Internet facilities. This work would end in one year.
The ministry has sent a proposal on the route to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), Post and Telecommunications Secretary Sunil Kanti Bose told the news agency Sunday.
He said the government had taken the initiative to connect the country with a second submarine cable to keep safe its connectivity with the information super highway.
The existing submarine cable line has reached Dhaka through Jhilangja station in
Cox's Bazar, but the cable line gets cut very often, disconnecting the country from the information super highway.
Therefore, the government, as an alternative measure, has taken the project of the second submarine cable as a priority.
Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Managing Director Manowar Hossain said the Khulna-Chennai submarine cable route would be 115-kilometre long. The estimated cost of the project will be 48 million US dollars.
He said presently there are three submarine cables in the sea in Chennai in India and Bangladesh would get connected with one of these three.
The post and telecommunications secretary said a meeting had already been held at the PMO on the proposal of the second submarine cable route.
International tender would be invited for the project and efforts were on to get donors' assistance for the project, he added.
The Asian Development Bank gave financial assistance for the first submarine cable station in Cox's Bazar.
The secretary said a Cybernet would be set up at Panchagarh under the 'South East Asia Sub-Regional Cooperation'. India, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh are members of the regional cooperation.
BTCL Managing Director SM Khabiruzzaman said work on setting up fibre optic links across the country would begin within the next year to expand Internet facilities. This work would end in one year.