If you ask me to list three things that are constantly unreliable in my university life (and no, we’re not talking about my grades), they would be:  your desired courses and faculty, your dream timetable, and stable internet connectivity.

Now, after a year, I have come to accept the first two with a resigned “It is what it is.” But the third one? Oh, absolutely not. This is not happening in this lifetime.

If my Wi-Fi was not stable when I was born, then it better be when I leave this world. An unstable internet connection is enough to unleash my inner Brahmanbaria – capable of wrestling a porcupine inside a phonebooth.

Proper internet connectivity in a university is not only just a necessity; it is your academic lifeline. The same way contestants call their smartest friend in Kaun Banega Crorepati, we, the students, rely on Wi-Fi before, during, and even after exams.

Now, put yourself in my shoes.

You have pulled an all-nighter for a Bangladesh Studies quiz.

Droopy eyes, dark circles wider than the craters on the moon, and you are humming the melody of a thousand years of yawns (not love).

Again (technical issues, we have lost count), you have made desperate promises to the study gods by boldly declaring: “I’ll never procrastinate again” (an obvious lie) and squeezed every last bit of study material inside your brain.

Then it happens.

The most dreadful, horrifying and sickening thing that can happen to a student. The moment you step into the classroom and… conditional amnesia kicks in.

Either you have blurred the important dates, forgot key names of individuals or events or even the spelling of them.

What’s the cure?

A quick last-minute revision, of course.
You grab your phone, scramble to Google Classroom, only to be greeted by the spinning wheel of doom: Wi-Fi loading.

You can’t switch to mobile data because … you forgot to check your balance. Panic mode on. Your fingers are fidgeting on the screen, frantically searching, refreshing it for a signal. But just as the page begins to load —

“Phones inside the bag, please.”

Game over.

All that effort – wasted.

Your shot at mental peace? Ruined.

Not by lack of preparation, but by the university’s legendary internet instability (and you can’t blame colonialism for this one). This Wi-Fi saga is not new. It is  a tale passed down from batch to batch, like a campus folklore no one asked for.

However, the management at IUB has finally said: enough is enough. They’ve decided to challenge this generational curse by introducing the finest and latest in wireless technology – Wi-Fi 7.

Now, I am not planning to bore you with the technical jargon, but according to IUB’s press release, this upgraded system features a state-of-the-art access infrastructure that can support around 25,000 devices simultaneously. Other promised perks include wider coverage, faster speed, lower latency, and enhanced security.

Therefore, this is not simply just a Wi-Fi update, this is a game changer. It has the potential to revolutionise IUB’s digital environment.

Quick! This is your chance to interrogate your IUB friends:

●       Can they finally download their PowerPoints right before exams without praying to the router gods?

●       Has ChatGPT stopped buffering mid-answer during quizzes?

●       Did IUB really deliver on its promise of the mythical Bandwidth Guardian?

●       And most importantly, can NSU folks get a Wi-Fi signal near Gate 8 yet?

If Wi-Fi 7 has indeed delivered the promised salvation, then it’s time for you to start mass emailing at your own university.

But here’s a tip:

Do not protest.

For that will only backfire and  you are going to embarrass yourself (honest truth). Instead, engage with senior management.

Let them know you don’t want flawless internet for doomscrolling or watching memes.

You need it to survive in a world that’s becoming more digital by the second.

And the foundation of that world starts with one bar of strong, stable Wi-Fi.