Bangladesh Faces Further Internet Disruptions Today Due to Submarine Cable Maintenance

Last Updated on July 27, 2024 4:48 pm

By Shabana Akter

Dhaka, Bangladesh – July 27, 2024 – Internet users in Bangladesh should brace for additional disruptions today as maintenance work on the country’s primary submarine cable, SEA-ME-WE-4, takes place. The maintenance is expected to cause intermittent slowdowns and network interruptions from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time.

The maintenance is focused on a land cable fault near the Tuas landing station in Singapore, part of the SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable system, which connects Cox’s Bazar to Singapore. The Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL) has announced that these essential repairs will temporarily impact services on circuits between Bangladesh and Singapore.

Compounding Connectivity Issues

This disruption adds to existing internet challenges in Bangladesh. The country’s internet connectivity has already been strained due to halted mobile data services and disconnected cache servers, according to the Internet Service Provider Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB). ISPAB President Md Emdadul Hoque noted that these issues have reduced broadband speeds to about one-fifth of their normal rate.

Hoque explained that without restoring mobile internet services and reconnecting the cache servers, broadband speeds are unlikely to improve. “With cable internet connections fully restored across the country, we are currently operating at full broadband bandwidth capacity,” he said.

As the country grapples with these connectivity issues, users should prepare for potential slowdowns and interruptions throughout the day. The maintenance work is critical to ensuring the long-term reliability of the SEA-ME-WE-4 cable system, but it underscores ongoing challenges with internet infrastructure in Bangladesh.