Private Subsea Cable Bid in Limbo Despite $53M Investment
By Rafiqul Islam, The Business Standar
April 29, 2026
The Bangladesh Private Cable System consortium – Summit Communications, CdNet Communications, and Metacore Subcom Ltd – awaits critical no-objection clearances from the foreign affairs and home affairs ministries, and the National Security Intelligence.
This bottleneck halts cable-laying vessels from entering Bangladesh's territorial waters.
The project links to the UMO Cable System's 2,227-km main route from Singapore to Myanmar, plus a 1,300-km branch to Cox's Bazar.
Without April approvals, investors risk missing the 31 August 2026 rollout deadline, pushing implementation back a full year due to the Bay of Bengal's narrow November-to-mid-May laying window.
In a letter sent on 31 March to the foreign affairs ministry, the consortium sought no-objection clearance for Panama- and Indonesia-flagged vessels to enter Bangladesh's territorial waters to lay the cable.
However, officials say procedural gaps between ministries have stalled progress.
A foreign ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Business Standard that the consortium had been asked to obtain authorisation from the posts, telecommunications and information technology ministry, adding that no such communication had yet been received.
“According to protocol, one ministry cannot act on a letter issued by an agency under another ministry,” the official said.
Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Secretary Bilquis Jahan Rimi said the ministry has not received any letter on this matter. “A decision will be announced once the letter is received.”
However, official documents show that the consortium had written to the ministry in September last year seeking inter-ministerial support.
Project status
The consortium has already reached all critical technical milestones.
These include a comprehensive feasibility study, a detailed subsea route survey, the demarcation of the route from Myanmar's Exclusive Economic Zone to Cox's Bazar, and the activation of the Singapore-Myanmar segment.
The project is currently in the “shovel-ready” phase, with construction of the landing station and beach manhole progressing at full pace.
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