What is an IIG? Bangladesh's International Internet Gateways Explained

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Summary
Learn what an International Internet Gateway (IIG) is, how it manages IP transit for local ISPs, and why it critically impacts your ping and download speeds.

Summary

An IIG (International Internet Gateway) is a specialized telecommunications company in Bangladesh that acts as the essential bridge between domestic Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and the global internet. IIGs purchase massive international bandwidth from submarine cables and terrestrial links, manage complex global routing, and resell this capacity wholesale to your local ISP.

The Role of the IIG

Under Bangladesh’s strict regulatory framework, standard retail ISPs cannot directly plug into international submarine cables. They must go through an IIG. The IIG operates as the “Wholesaler” of internet bandwidth.

When you type google.com into your browser, the request leaves your home, hits your ISP’s router, and is immediately handed off to the IIG. The IIG’s enterprise-grade routers then determine the fastest path out of Bangladesh to reach Google’s servers.

How IIGs Connect Bangladesh to the World

IIGs manage a service known as IP Transit. They maintain immense aggregate connections using two primary physical routes:

  1. Submarine Cables: Leased capacity from BSCPLC (connecting to global backbones via the Bay of Bengal).
  2. ITC (International Terrestrial Cables): Land-based fiber routes that connect through India to reach global networks.

The IIG utilizes the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) to announce Bangladesh’s IP addresses to the rest of the world and to find the most efficient inbound routes for requested data.

Why IIG Quality Affects Your Speed and Ping

Your internet experience is heavily dependent on the quality of the IIG your ISP has chosen to partner with.

  • Latency (Ping) for Gamers: If an IIG has optimized routing to Singapore or European gaming servers, you will experience low ping. If the IIG routes traffic inefficiently (e.g., sending data to Europe via the USA instead of the Middle East), your ping will spike, causing lag.
  • Bandwidth Congestion: A high-quality IIG purchases excess capacity to handle peak evening traffic. A poor-quality IIG might “oversell” their bandwidth to ISPs. During peak hours, the IIG’s international link becomes a bottleneck, causing your global internet speed to drop drastically while local speeds remain unaffected.

Redundancy: What Happens When a Submarine Cable is Cut?

Submarine cables are occasionally severed by ship anchors or natural events. A robust IIG operates with redundancy. If the primary submarine cable goes down, an advanced IIG automatically reroutes its traffic through an ITC overland route within seconds. Users might experience a temporary spike in latency, but their internet remains online. If your ISP uses an IIG without sufficient backup capacity, your internet will go completely offline during these outages.

FAQ

  • Q: Can I buy internet directly from an IIG?
    • A: No. BTRC regulations stipulate that IIGs are wholesale providers. They are legally prohibited from selling bandwidth directly to home users or corporate end-users unless they operate under a separate ISP license.
  • Q: How many IIGs are there in Bangladesh?
    • A: The BTRC has issued licenses to over 30 IIG operators, fostering a competitive market. Prominent examples include Summit Communications, Fiber@Home, and Mango Teleservices.

Related Content

Sources

  • Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) - IIG Licensing Regulations.
  • APNIC (Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre) BGP Routing Guidelines.