Bangladesh’s first submarine cable, SEA-ME-WE 4 (SMW4), completed 20 years of operation on Thursday, marking a major milestone in the country’s digital transformation.
To commemorate the occasion, Bangladesh Submarine Cables PLC (BSCPLC) highlighted the pivotal role SMW4 has played in connecting Bangladesh to the global information superhighway and accelerating the country’s socio-economic development.
The submarine cable was officially inaugurated on May 21, 2006, in Cox’s Bazar by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Through the SMW4 consortium, Bangladesh became connected to a nearly 20,000-kilometre network linking Asia, Africa and Europe.
Before the cable’s arrival, Bangladesh relied entirely on satellite connectivity, resulting in slow internet speeds, expensive international communication and limited opportunities for ICT development. The initial bandwidth allocation of 22 Gbps laid the foundation for what would become the country’s digital revolution.
Over the years, BSCPLC expanded SMW4’s capacity through a series of upgrades, increasing its total design capacity to around 4,650 Gbps. The enhanced connectivity helped fuel the growth of the ICT sector, freelancing, outsourcing, e-commerce, mobile financial services, digital government platforms and online education.
Building on SMW4’s success, Bangladesh launched its second submarine cable, SEA-ME-WE 5 (SMW5), in 2017 and is now in the final stages of implementing SEA-ME-WE 6 (SMW6). Once operational, the country’s total international bandwidth capacity is expected to reach nearly 38 Tbps.
BSCPLC said the submarine cable systems remain a cornerstone of Bangladesh’s digital sovereignty, ensuring secure, reliable and resilient international connectivity as the country moves toward becoming a regional digital hub.
