After Bangladesh gained independence, Cox's Bazar began to receive administrative attention. A pilot plant was established at Kalatali in 1975, in order to assess the visibility of heavy mineral content in the area. Soon after, in 1984, Cox's Bazar subdivision was upgraded to a district, and in 1989, the city's municipality was promoted to B-grade. The Marine Fisheries and Technology Station was built in 1994, and covers a land area of 4 hactor which is home to 5 specialized laboratories. In early 2007, Bangladesh became linked to the submarine cable network, due to Cox's Bazar being selected as the landing station for the submarine cable.