In the geopolitical context of the 21st century, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure is now one of the main pillars of a country's sovereignty, security, and economic stability. While the speed at which Bangladesh is moving forward in digital transformation is praised by the global community, a strategic reliance on foreign cloud services, data storage, and international internet gateways can put the country's data sovereignty at risk in the long run. Especially international laws like the CLOUD Act can bring data stored abroad under the jurisdiction of foreign judicial authorities, creating anxiety for state security.

In this context, keeping the country's important data—such as banking transactions, citizen information, secret government documents, defense-related information, and sensitive healthcare data—secured within the country's geographical borders is now not just a technical demand; it is a national security priority. For this, there is no alternative to implementing a long-term and self-reliant data strategy.

Bangladesh has already taken several policy and structural initiatives to strengthen cloud infrastructure. Formulating the ‘Cloud Computing Policy 2023’ and setting a mandatory rule to store government data on domestic clouds has created the foundation for future data protection. Besides this, building Tier-4 standard data centers and the ‘Sovereign Cloud’ established through the BDCCL–Oracle coordination is a breakthrough step in ensuring the country's data does not go outside the country. This infrastructure is extremely important for sensitive sectors like fintech, banking, healthcare, and e-governance, where data privacy and regulatory compliance get the highest priority.

If we become self-reliant in data storage and cloud capacity, Bangladesh will benefit significantly economically as well. Bangladesh is spending crores of taka every year on foreign cloud services; if local capacity increases, the technology industry inside the country will expand further. Alongside this, new doors of possibility will open for local innovators, startups, and researchers.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be one of the main driving forces in building a Smart Nation in Bangladesh. High-Performance Computing (HPC) is essential for training AI and machine learning models, which is extremely expensive and risky on foreign clouds. Through a sovereign cloud, the country's researchers, medical experts, agricultural technologists, and innovators can use safe, faster, and cost-effective HPC facilities on their own land. As a result, creating specialized AI-driven solutions using local data in sectors like health, agriculture, environment, and climate adaptation will become easier.

Similarly, reducing reliance on international connections is another important side of technological self-reliance. Bangladesh currently depends on submarine cables and limited land-path international gateways. Work is going on for the third and fourth submarine cable connections to remove this reliance, which will increase the country's network redundancy and resilience. Besides this, by expanding ITC connections, land-based internet routes with neighboring countries are getting stronger, which will make the national network safer, faster, and more reliable.

The addition of Starlink satellite internet service has added a new dimension to Bangladesh’s technological progress. In remote hill areas, coastal islands, and isolated river villages—places where traditional broadband or mobile networks do not reach or remain stable—Starlink will play an important role in ensuring high-speed internet. This satellite-based connection will speed up the country's digital inclusion and reduce the network gap in sectors like education, healthcare, agricultural technology, disaster management, and government services. Especially rural entrepreneurs, telemedicine, online learning, and remote monitoring services will benefit significantly through Starlink’s stable and fast internet.

Therefore, I think right now our goal is very clear—keeping data safe inside the country, achieving self-reliance in technology, and ensuring digital sovereignty. However, building infrastructure is not enough. We need to create skilled human resources, strengthen cyber security, create experts in cloud architecture and data science, and encourage domestic innovators more. If we can make this foundation stronger, standing on the policy of ‘Let the country's data stay in the country’, Bangladesh will go one step further in implementing the vision of a Smart Nation and at the same time achieve permanent progress in national security, economy, and technology sectors.

Sakif Shamim
Managing Director, Labaid Cancer Hospital & Super Speciality Centre
Deputy Managing Director, Labaid Group