BSNL to roll out Tripura-Bangla cable soon

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL), the state-run telecom company, will lay an optical fibre cable (OFC) through Bangladesh to connect northeast India with the rest of the world, officials of the state-run telecom operator said.

"We have completed the necessary survey from the Tripura capital of Agartala to Bangladeshi border town Akhaurah (12 km). The survey is now on from Chittagong of southeast Bangladesh to Ashuganj in eastern Bangladesh and the entire field assessment would be completed by this year end," BSNL Tripura general manager Debkumar Chakraborty told newspersons.

As soon as survey was over, the cost implication would be calculated. "Immediately after completion of the survey, we would submit a report to the government and then the actual work of laying the OFC would start after getting the approval from both New Delhi and Dhaka," Chakraborty said at the launch of WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) services in the state.

Once the OFC is laid through Bangladesh, telecommunications between the mountainous northeast India and rest of the world would be better, the BSNL official said.

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar launched the service. Minister of state for communications and information technology Sachin Pilot first introduced the service in Mizoram in July.