Bangladesh has entered the era of satellite internet with the launch of Starlink

 Dhaka, May 20, 2025 :- Faiz Ahmed Tayyab, Special Assistant to the Principal Advisor on Posts and Telecommunications and Information Technology, said, "Today, we have entered the era of satellite internet with the official launch of Starlink in Bangladesh. This is an important achievement of the interim government."

Starlink's journey has officially begun in Bangladesh from Tuesday. He made these remarks at a press briefing organized at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital on this occasion.

Faiz Ahmed Tayyab said, just 90 days ago, there was no NGSO (Non-Geostationary Satellite Operator) license in Bangladesh. Within these 90 days, Bangladesh has developed an NGSO guideline and based on it, Starlink has applied as the sole operator. After processing that application, their commercial operations started in just four months from February 2025 to May of the same year. Such a rapid rollout is unprecedented in the history of telecommunications licenses in Bangladesh.

He said that there is no limit or cap on Starlink data usage. Its target users are those areas where fiber connectivity has not yet reached. Currently, only 30 percent of the country's mobile towers have fiber connections. The rest are mainly connected through low-capacity microwave links.

Faiz Tayyab said, Bangladesh still has thousands of mobile towers, whose bandwidth is only 300 Mbps, which is shared among thousands of customers. In the case of Starlink, with just one setup box (costing 47,000 taka), a rural entrepreneur can use uninterrupted and low latency high-speed internet. This will be equal to the internet speed of the parliament building or the advisor's office.

He said, "We have made the regulations of NGSO in such a way that it is entrepreneur-friendly. One or more entrepreneurs can buy a setup box by forming a fund of 47 thousand taka and sell internet to shops around them. Since the WiFi range is 20 to 50 meters, this service will easily reach many shops in the Grameen Growth Center."

Faiz Tayyab said, "There are no obstacles in the law. Starlink can also be used in city residences through WiFi sharing. Due to the built-in router, it can also be used in ISP setups."

He added, "We plan to provide financing opportunities through microcredit authorities, financial organizations, and banks. We are working on creating financial packages to make Starlink accessible to those who will provide citizen services."

Although the monthly cost of Starlink is high, it has been reduced through negotiations to 6,000 and 4,000 taka. Although this is a bit high in the socio-economic reality of Bangladesh, since it is shareable and there are no restrictions on sales, it can be developed as a viable business model for entrepreneurs.

Faiz Tayyab said, "We all grew up with the concept of 'phone lady' of Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Through Starlink, new entrepreneurs can be created with the concept of 'WiFi lady'. It is possible to connect only rural women to this service with special loans. Apart from buildings, informal co-working businesses can participate in this process."

Asked whether Starlink is affordable for residential customers, Faiz Tayyab said, "Multiple apartments in a building will be able to use this service. Even if the WiFi range is 20 meters, residents of the same floor or adjacent units will be able to use it collectively. Although the one-time cost is higher, it will be affordable on a cooperative basis."

Regarding Starlink's regional price, he said, "We have done a regional price analysis and found that Starlink's price is the lowest in Bangladesh. Even lower than Sri Lanka and Thailand. Since there are no restrictions on sharing, the price will be within everyone's reach."

He said that the interests of government companies are being protected in two ways - one. Through submarine cable companies, two. Through satellite companies. Overall, the arrival of Starlink has opened a new horizon in the telecom sector of Bangladesh and is being considered a groundbreaking step in eliminating digital inequality.

The Special Assistant to the Chief Advisor said that VAT, taxes and rates will be applicable for importing devices and NOC will have to be obtained.

The Chief Advisor's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam and Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder were present at the briefing.