ED: A future without the internet is no future

The very possibility of Bangladesh running out of internet bandwidth in the near future is an unacceptable one and bodes poorly for a nation running on the potential of a Digital Bangladesh.

Not only that, we as a nation have utilized the internet to our benefit to an extent that has been frankly impressive: From exporting ICT services to mobile banking to myriad other online services, Bangladesh is well on its way to becoming a nation digitized.

But, unfortunately, such a prospect is a very real one, with reports claiming that Bangladesh is set to run out of internet bandwidth as early as 2023, since our third submarine cable is slated to arrive in 2024, an unfathomable two years after we are predicted to run out by the end of 2022.

The power of the internet is one which we have harnessed to a great extent in order to create a society that is far more inclusive, and provide goods and services to the people of this country with increasing efficiency -- however, the aforementioned possibility would essentially stagnate our progress as a nation to an extent that is difficult to imagine.

How such an oversight could happen on the part of the Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL) is anyone’s guess -- and speaks to a level of incompetence that is absolutely unacceptable for an organization responsible for such a crucial aspect of our nation’s journey into the future.

The situation is further worsened by BSCCL continuing to keep us in the dark regarding how it wishes to address the problem. There are several possible solutions, such as buying the necessary bandwidth from neighbouring countries -- but, with demands naturally expected to increase exponentially as more people start to use internet-based services, BSCCL must provide us with a clear plan with regards to how exactly this problem will be addressed in the days to come, and at what cost.

In the middle of a global pandemic, for a nation that prides itself on a journey towards digitization, this is an unacceptable conundrum that must be solved immediately.