Agartala : By the end of this month, internet connectivity in north-eastern states is likely to be as good as in metros such as Delhi and Mumbai with building of a new international internet gateway through Bangladesh to the region, said a senior BSNL official.
“99 percent work of the international internet gateway has been completed. The foundation stone of the gateway was laid by the Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prashad and I am hopeful that we will be able to inaugurate the gateway in this month,” said K. K. Saxena, CGM (NE Circle), BSNL, during a press conference here.
“Once this facility is inaugurated, then through Bangladesh, the entire internet service, be it landline, lease line or mobile network which at present goes via Guwahati and Kolkata will go through Coxbazar of Bangladesh and we shall be able to give stable connectivity,” Saxena added.
The most beneficial state in the region will be Tripura for its proximity with the Cox Bazar landing station in Bangladesh.
The agreement for this project was signed between Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company and India’s BSNL during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the neighbouring country last year.
With this, India will be able to lease 10 Gbps (Gigabits per second) capacity from Bangladesh. This can later be increased up to 40 Gbps.
The international gateway for broadband connectivity will be installed at Agartala for extending internet bandwidth in north-eastern region via Cox Bazar landing station in Bangladesh.
This project will resolve internet connectivity issue to a great extent in the north-eastern states which at present has its gateway in Chennai or Mumbai.
The project implementation will result in faster speeds and improved services in the region. Its cost is estimated to be Rs. 19.1 crore with annual operational expenditure of about 7.2 crore to be funded by Department of Telecom.
With better internet connectivity, the north-eastern region of India is also likely to attract investment and thus create employment opportunities for the youth. (ANI)