DHAKA, May 12, 2026 (BSS) - Bangladesh Submarine Cables PLC (BSCPLC), a state-owned listed company, has said there is no current or future risk of any shortage in international bandwidth supply in the country.

The company said it is fully prepared to meet the country's existing and future bandwidth demand and urged all operators, service providers and conscious citizens not to be influenced by misleading reports published in some media outlets, said a press release issued by Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology today. 

In a statement issued here, BSCPLC said it has long been performing its responsibilities efficiently and with reputation as the country's main government agency for international telecommunications connectivity.

At present, the company is successfully operating two trusted submarine cable systems - SEA-ME-WE-4 and SEA-ME-WE-5.

The combined capacity of the two cable systems currently stands at around 7,200 Gbps, of which nearly 4,100 Gbps bandwidth is already being supplied in the country while BSCPLC still has the capacity to provide another 3,100 Gbps bandwidth. The company said this capacity could be further increased in future through technological advancement.

Referring to recent reports published by some media outlets on submarine cable systems, geopolitical risks and possible bandwidth shortages without taking BSCPLC's opinion, the company said those reports were misleading and inconsistent with reality.

According to BSCCPLC, only 100 Gbps out of the total 7,200 Gbps capacity passes through the Red Sea, which accounts for just 1.34 percent of the total capacity. 

Besides, there is no existing cable connection through the Strait of Hormuz.

Of the remaining 7,100 Gbps capacity, 6,000 Gbps is connected to Singapore and 1,100 Gbps to Chennai, which are not dependent on the Hormuz or Bab-el-Mandeb straits.

As a result, the campaign claiming that "Bangladesh may fall into digital darkness due to attacks by Houthi rebels or Iran" is baseless, the company said.

The company also said reports published in some media claiming that the capacity of the SEA-ME-WE-5 cable has almost been exhausted are incorrect.

Currently, the lit-up capacity of the cable is 2,200 Gbps, of which 1,488 Gbps is being used, meaning that 712 Gbps capacity still remains unused.

The lifespan of the cable has been fixed until 2037 and it could be extended further through discussion with the consortium if necessary, it added.

At the same time, BSCPLC said unnecessary panic is being spread by portraying SEA-ME-WE-4 as an old cable nearing the end of its lifespan.

The current capacity of the cable is 4,650 Gbps and around 2,595 Gbps bandwidth is being supplied through it. The consortium has fixed its lifespan until 2030, with scope for further extension.

Considering the country's future demand, BSCPLC has already been implementing another trusted submarine cable system, SEA-ME-WE-6.

Once the cable becomes operational in early 2027, it will have the capacity to provide around 15,000 Gbps bandwidth each at Cox's Bazar-Singapore and Cox's Bazar-Mumbai ends, totalling 30,000 Gbps bandwidth.

As a result, the total capacity of the state-owned submarine cables is expected to reach around 38,000 Gbps by 2027.

The company also called upon all stakeholders to become partners in the country's digital advancement by taking bandwidth from the country's safe, reliable and sovereign trusted submarine cable systems - SEA-ME-WE-4, SEA-ME-WE-5 and SEA-ME-WE-6.

BSCPLC also reiterated its commitment to protecting national information infrastructure security and digital sovereignty.