Nation’s True Connection: Coming Full Circle in Service of a Connected Maldives

Returning After Five Years

After almost five years, I found myself working once again on a project for Dhiraagu. This time, it wasn’t a campaign, a launch, or a conventional corporate film. It was a documentary—one that set out to capture something far more meaningful: how a nation connects, and what that connection truly enables.

For me, this project felt like coming full circle.

Years earlier, I was present as the agency point person during the launch of Dhiraagu’s Domestic Subsea Cable. Even then, it was clear that this was not just an infrastructure milestone. In a country defined by scattered islands and the ocean between them, connectivity is never abstract—it is physical, hard-earned, and deeply national.

Seeing the Work Behind the Network

Returning now to document the next chapter—new international subsea cables and the rollout of Fibre to the Home across every inhabited island—was immensely gratifying. Watching this progress unfold over time, and being trusted to tell that story, carried a sense of pride that is difficult to put into words.

What stood out throughout the documentary process was the scale of invisible work behind everyday connectivity. Laying fibre across the Maldives is not just an engineering task. It involves navigating vast distances, unpredictable seas, tight timelines, and real human risk. Much of this work happens quietly, away from recognition, driven by teams focused on a single objective: ensuring no island is left behind.

Fibre as a Tool for Equality

Fibre to the Home in every island is not about speed tests or marketing claims. It is about equal access.

It means a child in a small island can learn, create, and connect on the same footing as someone in the capital. It means businesses are no longer limited by geography. It means public services, healthcare, education, and livelihoods can function without digital disadvantage. This is where infrastructure becomes national development.

Two Decades of Consistent Leadership

Over more than twenty years, Dhiraagu has led every major business line it operates in. That level of consistency does not happen by chance. It is the result of professionalism, execution discipline, and long-term thinking.

In an industry that evolves rapidly and often rewards short-term wins, sustained leadership requires restraint, planning, and an understanding that national infrastructure carries responsibility far beyond quarterly results. That approach is visible not in slogans, but in outcomes.

Ismail Rasheed. CEO and MD of Dhiraagu

Perspective from the Other Side of the Industry

There is also a personal dimension to this project. I previously worked for Dhiraagu’s competitor, and that perspective matters.

It allows me to say this with clarity: recognising excellence should never be constrained by former affiliations. In fact, it strengthens credibility. Being able to document this journey objectively—after having seen the industry from multiple sides—made this experience more meaningful and more honest.

Connecting the Maldives to the World

A critical part of this story lies beyond our shores. Dhiraagu’s involvement in the SEA-ME-WE 6 places the Maldives firmly within the global digital backbone connecting Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

SEA-ME-WE-6 brings massive capacity, improved latency, and vital route diversity. For a small island nation, this is about resilience, redundancy, and long-term security. It ensures the Maldives is not digitally isolated, but globally integrated and future-ready.

When this international depth is combined with nationwide Fibre to the Home, the result is a complete ecosystem—global access delivered directly into homes, businesses, schools, and institutions across every island.

SEA-ME-WE-6 Submarine Cable System Animation

More Than Technology

This documentary was never meant to celebrate technology for its own sake. Cables and fibre are only the tools.

The real story is what they enable: connection between people, communities, and opportunity. It is the quiet transformation that occurs when geography no longer limits potential, and when national ambition is supported by real, functioning infrastructure.

Pride in Telling the Nation’s Story

Working on Nation’s True Connection reminded me why storytelling matters.

Some projects are simply assignments. Others become markers in your professional journey. This one felt like a contribution—to national memory, to shared progress, and to a story that will continue unfolding long after the cameras stop rolling.

I was proud to tell this story.And even prouder of what it represents.