Internet speed restored after more than 12 hours

Internet speed across Bangladesh has been restored after a disruption of more than 12 hours on Sunday.

Users have been experiencing slow speed or outages since 11am as power supply to the second submarine cable was disrupted.

“Internet speed was restored around at 12.20am (on Monday) following repair works,” Moshiur Rahman, managing director of Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Ltd (BSCCL), told Dhaka Tribune.

Power supply to the landing station in Patuakhali’s Kalapara Upazila was disrupted when locals were moving sand using excavators, when the power and the optical fibre cables were damaged, said the BSCCL top official.

BSCCL has also decided to file a case against local UP chairman’s brother Ansari Ullah and his associates in this connection.

The Kalapara police station OC and UNO also visited the spot after taking decision to file the case due to excavator the land.

Some 40% of the bandwidth supply was interrupted at SEA-ME-WE-5 during the period.

Almost half the bandwidth supply in the country comes through the SEA-ME-WE-5, according to the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh. 

Bangladesh was connected to South East Asia-Middle East-Western Europe 5 (SEA-ME-WE 5) in 2017 through the 2nd submarine cable landing station in Kalapara’s Kuakata, through which it receives up to 1,500 Gbps of bandwidth. 

In 2005, the country was connected to its first submarine cable, the SEA-ME-WE 4 with a capacity of up to 250 Gbps.

Besides that, Bangladesh is also connected to six alternative submarine cables (ITC or International Terrestrial Cable).