The delegation discussed the possible use of bandwidth of the submarine cable and informed the minister that the country's current rate of data consumption is about 2 megabyte.

Ispab urged the minister to form two committees on administration and management for proper utilisation of the undersea cable, and asked for representation of private parties in the proposed committees.

The delegates also requested the minister to ensure a competitive pricing for the bandwidth in line with tariff in the neighbouring countries.

They said the private ISPs would be the major users of the submarine cable backbone linking South East Asia, Middle East and Western Europe (SEA-ME-WE-3) alongside the state-owned telecoms operator Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (BTTB).

The submarine cable was instrumental in providing cost-effective connectivity to so many developing countries -- linking them to key hubs and markets like Japan, Asean and Europe. It formed the infrastructure that helped countries like India and the Philippines build up the IT and outsourcing industries.

The delegation referred to Pakistan's recent withdrawal from the SEA-ME-WE-3 and urged the minister to consider a back-up cable link just in case.

They also urged for a microwave back-up link between the landing point at Cox's Bazar and the capital Dhaka in case of any cable disconnection. The BTTB, which is the signing party of the submarine cable, is connecting the landing point with the capital through a fibre optical link.

Telecoms Secretary Mahmud Hassan Mansur, Ispab President Akhtaruzaman Manju, vice-president Abdus Salam, Secretary General Ershad Shafi Chowdhury and President of Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS) S M Iqbal, among others, attended the meeting.