Bangladesh Is Running Out of Internet Bandwidth
Bangladesh’s internet demand is set to double by 2028, but its own cables can’t keep up — leaving the country hooked on Indian bandwidth instead.
In a Nutshell
- Bangladesh’s international bandwidth demand has jumped from just 50 Gbps in 2013 to about 13.5 Tbps today, and experts warn it could hit 19.1 Tbps in 2027 and 27 Tbps by 2028.
- The country relies on only two submarine cables — SEA-ME-WE-4 (4.6 Tbps) and SEA-ME-WE-5 (2.5 Tbps) — far fewer than regional peers like India (19 cables), Malaysia (23) and Thailand (12).
- Because state-run cable capacity often sits underused, private ISPs turned to cheaper Indian terrestrial bandwidth, which grew to supply up to 60% of national demand.
- The regulator, BTRC, has since capped Indian imports at 50% of total demand, aiming to cut it further to 30% to reduce dependency on one foreign source.
- Industry experts now want private submarine cables approved, which could add 51 Tbps of new capacity and even cut internet prices in half.
Context
Bangladesh connects to the world’s internet mainly through two old undersea cables, and one is due to retire by 2030. As streaming, online classes, and digital payments push internet use up fast, the country has leaned on cheaper internet piped in overland from India to fill the gap. Regulators worry this makes Bangladesh too dependent on one neighbor, while the state cable company insists no real shortage exists at all.
Why It Matters
This goes far beyond slow browsing speeds. Banking apps, mobile payments, freelance work, e-commerce, and government services all run on the internet, so any bandwidth crunch would ripple through the entire economy and disrupt daily life for millions. The deeper worry is control: when one neighboring country supplies a huge share of Bangladesh’s internet, that country gains quiet leverage over the nation’s connectivity, which could be used during diplomatic tension, border disputes, or simple pricing decisions. This is not hypothetical. Past undersea cable cuts have already knocked out large portions of the country’s bandwidth for days, showing how fragile a two-cable system truly is.
There is also a trust problem: BSCPLC, the state cable operator, insists no shortage is coming, while independent industry experts warn of a serious 2028 crunch, and years of underused state capacity suggest the real issue may be poor management and pricing, not just missing infrastructure. Since new cables take years to plan and build, every year of delay narrows Bangladesh’s options and deepens its reliance on a single foreign supply route right as regional demand for data, AI, and cloud services accelerates.
What we think
Independent undersea cables are a matter of national digital sovereignty, not a debate to delay. Relying on one neighbor for internet access is a long-term risk we need to treat as unacceptable. Cheap bandwidth today means little if it comes with tomorrow’s price hikes or sudden disruptions outside Bangladesh’s control.