In a stunning turn of events, Bangladesh is currently experiencing a serious internet and telecommunications problem due to a blazing fire at the famous Khawaja Tower in Dhaka. Widespread damage has been caused by the fire, including to data centers, interconnection exchanges (ICXs) located inside the tower, and international internet gateway (IIG) service providers.

Many citizens were faced with a nightmare of connectivity as the fires continued to flare, causing a wave of disruption to sweep over the country.

For many, having access to phone services and the internet has become a luxury. Mobile internet and telephony connections, which significantly rely on IIGs for bandwidth, were particularly hard hit. The substantial damage was clarified by Md. Emdadul Hoque, President of the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB). "Two of our critical data centers, Dhakacolo on the 10th floor and NRB Telecom on the 11th floor, sustained significant damage as a result of the Khawaja Tower fire.

The situation was made worse by the power interruption caused by the fire. About 6-700 Internet Service Providers in Dhaka and the surrounding areas banded together to fight this situation, pooling resources and supporting one another's efforts to offer internet.

Unfortunately, end consumers experienced slow and erratic internet as a result of this temporary fix. Even if there are still difficulties, ISPAB is working nonstop to find a solution. "We are carefully assessing the extent of our damages and initiating the relocation of our service equipment from Khawaja Tower to alternate locations," Hoque said with optimism.

Our goal is to have the internet back up and running by tonight or tomorrow morning. It is impossible to overestimate the significance of IIGs; they are the backbone of Bangladesh's internet traffic, functioning as international gateways that control the flow of information between the nation and the worldwide online community.

In addition, ICXs serve as a critical conduit for connectivity across different operators' telecommunication networks. Bangladesh clutches its breath, waiting for the new day to arrive in the hopes that its valuable internet lifeline will be restored as soon as possible.