AGARTALA, July 9 (TIWN): Internet connectivity in North-East India is set to get the much-needed fillip. With Bangladesh Government’s dispatching of high speed internet facility to the North eastern state Tripura; Agartala would be the third international gateway to the internet connectivity in the country after Mumbai and Chennai.However, Union Telecom Minister Ravi Sankar Prasad would visit Agartala likely on July 11 to launch the ambitious project being undertaken by the Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL).Bangladesh Government has agreed to allow India to use unspent bandwidth in the neighbouring country's Cox Bazar.Tripura would be connected with 10 Gbp internet connectivity, which could bring a revolution not only in North East but also in some mainland states, said the top official of BSNL. Besides, with Agartala to be linked to a telecom cable company at Cox's Bazar in south Bangladesh, the connectivity is all set to facilitate North eastern States to be connected with reliable global telecom network, which will provide high-speed and uninterrupted telecommunication in another six months.BSNL NE-I Circle Chief General Manager D.P.Singh earlier said, “Agartala Akhaura Integrated Check Post (ICP) would be the center point to connect the India and Bangladesh telecom bandwidth.”

Initially BSNL will lease 10Gbps bandwidth from Bangladesh’s lone submarine cable operator, Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL). A fiber cable line from Coxbazar landing station through Akhaura under Brahmanbaria district to Agartala, capital of Tripura will carry this bandwidth.

Singh said, "After several persuasions spanning over 4 years, an agreement was signed with Dhaka during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Bangladesh on June 5.” Adding to that he said, “We would now lay the optical fibre cable network from Agartala to the Integrated Check Post at Akhaura in the Indo-Bangla international border to connect Cox Bazar's submarine bandwidth.”

Telecom experts say that once the hectic plan is implemented, this will help to improve Internet services in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura. The region suffers from highly unstable tele-connectivity offered by the only optical fibre link, passing through Chicken’s Neck, to Kolkata.

Earlier during the year 2014 Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar meeting with PM Modi demanded that alternate telecom routing through Akhaura (in Bangladesh) to Agartala as well as internet connectivity through Cox’s Bazar (in Bangladesh) may be pursued with Bangladesh authorities vigorously for improving telecommunication facilities in the North-eastern region, including Tripura.

However following the proposal of the Indian Government and to boost the bilateral cooperation,  Bangladesh Government has granted India’s proposal to connect Tripura with the international Internet gateway (South-East Asia – Middle East – Western Europe 4 cable system) passing through Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. Cox’s Bazar is 200-250 km far from Tripura.

Mr. Singh assumed that Rs. 8 crore would be required every year for the 10Gbps telecom connectivity which is expected to cater the need of the entire North eastern region. He said that the network is likely to help to establish a better connectivity in two routes between Agartala and the submarine cable landing station at Cox's Bazar and between Agartala and Dhaka.