AGARTALA, Dec 8 (TIWN): India is set to launch its third international internet gateway in Agartala from December 2015. This follows the recent trial run conducted by Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL), in transmission of 10 Gbps bandwidth at the Akhaura integrated checkpost.

Presently, the submarine cable from Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh has been connected to Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited cable at Akhaura checkpost. Although BSNL has completed the lane laying work on the Indian side, it is waiting for equipment to customize the benefits for subscribers. The project is currently under the testing stage. However, few administrative procedures still left to begin the operations at the new gateway. The foundation of this Rs 191 million project was laid in July 2015.

The Ministry of Communications and IT has been prioritising the project to strengthen telecom network in the northeast and eastern India in order to bring investments in information technology in the region. Meanwhile, the digital India initiative has also increased the pressure on existing international gateways in Chennai and Mumbai.