Internet slowdown for 3 days from Thursday for cable maintenance

Internet services across the country may experience slowdowns for the next three days as maintenance and repair work begins on the country's second submarine cable, Sea Me We 5. Partial disruptions may also occur during this period, said Bangladesh Submarine Cables Company Limited (BSCCL), which expressed regret for the temporary inconvenience.

In a press release on Wednesday, April 8, the company said repair work for a 'shunt fault' detected in the second submarine cable system at Kuakata will begin at 10:00 pm on Thursday. The work will continue until 6:00 am on Monday, a total of three days and eight hours.

During the repair, the Singapore-bound circuits on this cable will be temporarily shut down. As a result, users may face slower internet speeds or partial service disruptions. International bandwidth-dependent services are likely to be affected. However, the country's first submarine cable, Sea Me We 4, at Cox's Bazar will remain operational as an alternative, preventing a complete blackout.

The company said efforts are underway through the international consortium to complete the work as quickly as possible. Authorities hope to restore normal internet service within the scheduled timeframe.