International Internet Gateways – The Hidden Backbone of Bangladesh’s Digital Future
Introduction: The Internet You Don’t See. Every time a Bangladeshi student streams an online lecture, an entrepreneur closes a deal on Zoom, or a gamer plays in real-time with someone across the globe, a massive invisible infrastructure is at work. Few people know that this infrastructure runs through International Internet Gateways (IIGs) — the arteries that carry Bangladesh’s internet traffic to the rest of the world. As one of the nation’s leading IIG operators, Exabyte Limited stands at the center of this ecosystem. But what exactly do IIGs do, and why do they matter so much for the future of a “Smart Bangladesh”?
What is an International Internet Gateway (IIG)?
Think of the internet as a global highway system. Your local ISP is the neighborhood road, but unless it connects to an international expressway, you’ll never reach destinations abroad. This expressway is the International Internet Gateway (IIG) — the licensed operator responsible for carrying traffic from Bangladesh to the global internet.
In Bangladesh, IIGs perform three critical functions:
- Routing traffic: Ensuring data packets find the most efficient path globally.
- Bandwidth management: Handling the country’s growing data consumption.
- Peering & interconnection: Building direct links with content providers for faster access.
Bangladesh’s Growing Internet Demands
Bangladesh is home to 120+ million internet subscribers (BTRC, 2025), one of the fastest-growing online populations in Asia. This surge is fueled by:
- OTT Platforms (YouTube, Netflix, Bongo)
- Remote Work & Freelancing (Bangladesh is among the top freelancing markets globally)
- E-commerce & Mobile Payments
- Gaming & Cloud Applications
All of this depends on robust international gateways. Without them, buffering, downtime, and high latency would cripple user experiences.
Exabyte’s Role in Powering Bangladesh
Exabyte Limited is licensed as an IIG provider, with infrastructure spanning both submarine cables (SEA-ME-WE 4, SEA-ME-WE 5) and terrestrial routes.
Our Infrastructure Advantage
- Multiple Submarine Cable Access Points: Ensuring redundancy through Cox’s Bazar and Kuakata.
- Terrestrial Gateways: Linking to India and beyond, offering alternative routes when undersea cables face outages.
- Carrier-Grade Routers & Peering: Direct connections with Google, Meta, Akamai, and BDIX — reducing latency by up to 60%.
Reliability & Resilience
Downtime costs millions in lost productivity. Exabyte addresses this through:
- Redundant Paths: Automatic failover during cable cuts.
- DDoS Protection: Safeguarding enterprises against cyber threats.
- 24/7 NOC (Network Operations Center): Proactive monitoring and rapid response.
Why Strong IIGs = Stronger Economy
- For ISPs: Reliable IIGs mean better quality of service, which builds customer trust.
- For Enterprises: Exporters, banks, and tech startups thrive with low-latency global connectivity.
- For Bangladesh’s Vision 2041: A digitally connected economy cannot exist without world-class IIG operators.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Connectivity
The next decade will bring:
- 5G rollouts demanding ultra-low latency.
- IoT ecosystems connecting everything from cars to factories.
- Data sovereignty requirements, making local IIGs more critical.
Exabyte is preparing with IPv6 readiness, higher-capacity ports (up to 100 Gbps), and cloud interconnection services that will tie Bangladesh directly to the world’s biggest platforms.
Conclusion
Every Google search, every Facebook message, every financial transaction in Bangladesh relies on a hidden but vital backbone: International Internet Gateways. And companies like Exabyte Limited are not just enabling connectivity — they are shaping the future of a connected Bangladesh.
Looking for a reliable IIG partner to scale your ISP or enterprise? Contact Exabyte today to explore our world-class transit and peering solutions .