A white paper released under the interim government has revealed serious irregularities and policy violations in the process of granting private submarine cable licenses during the Awami League administration. The report warns that the state-owned Bangladesh Submarine Cables PLC (BSCCPLC) could lose up to Tk 616 crore in revenue and Tk 69 crore in dividends over the next four years. The government has ordered an investigation into the activities and consortium legitimacy of three private firms—Summit, Metacore, and Cdnet—accused of breaching licensing rules and endangering national digital security.

According to the white paper, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) issued three private licenses in 2022, but the companies formed a single consortium named BPCS instead of building separate cables. This consolidation undermined network reliability and concentrated strategic control, posing national security risks. The report also warns that the move could create artificial market capacity, waste public funds, and cause a steep fall in bandwidth prices, leading to significant financial losses for BSCCPLC.

Sector experts suggest suspending private submarine cable operations for three to five years after the launch of the SMW6 cable and granting BSCCPLC special protection as critical national infrastructure.