Starlink wants to provide bandwidth from Bangladesh to neighbouring countries

The US-based satellite internet company Starlink has proposed offering internet services to neighbouring countries using bandwidth from Bangladesh.

The company has formally communicated its plan to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) through an official letter.

Starlink sent the letter to BTRC on 13 August. In it, the company said that it wants to consider Bangladesh as a point of presence (PoP) and use bandwidth to provide services to nearby PoPs and countries.

For this purpose, they have requested commercial approval to use International Private Leased Circuit (IPLC) and unfiltered IP (unregulated internet connection).

Starlink began commercial operations in Bangladesh in May. The service is already active in neighbouring countries-- Sri Lanka and Bhutan, while India and Nepal are still awaiting its launch.

The internet service currently provided in Bangladesh relies on submarine cables. This means that bandwidth is brought via underwater cables, which mobile network operators and internet service providers (ISPs) use to deliver internet services to people.

Starlink provides internet service via satellites or artificial satellites. According to information on the website of Starlink’s parent company SpaceX, their internet service comes from geostationary (Earth-orbiting) satellites, which orbit the Earth at an altitude of 35,786 kilometers.

Starlink is a collection of thousands of satellites installed in low Earth orbit, which can provide high-speed internet service to the entire world.

In the letter to BTRC, Starlink said that it wants to connect its points of presence (PoPs) in Bangladesh to its PoPs in Singapore and Oman through international private leased circuit (IPLC). Each of their PoPs is interconnected with at least two other PoPs. Through this IPLC, they use ‘unfiltered’ (unregulated) IP transit, which is not related to any part of Bangladesh’s local traffic. They will follow local regulations for Bangladesh.

Starlink further said that these IPLC connections will not affect any local or internal matters in Bangladesh. Each Bangladeshi user will be routed through local International Internet Gateways (IIG) and local IP transit. Therefore, all activities within Bangladesh will remain subject to security, legal oversight, and content-blocking regulations.

Starlink mentioned in the letter that the unfiltered IP will be obtained from approved Bangladeshi companies Fiber@Home and Summit Communications, both of which hold licenses for International Terrestrial Cable (ITC) and International Internet Gateway (IIG).

Major General (Retd) Md Emdadul Bari, Chairman of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), told Prothom Alo that the commission is treating Starlink’s proposal as a matter of bandwidth export rather than transit. He noted that Bangladesh has been exporting bandwidth for some time—for instance, to Tripura in India—which has no connection to the country’s internal network.

The BTRC chairman added that if Starlink proceeds with exporting bandwidth in this manner, the commission will take the matter to the government. However, before any decision is made, the technical aspects will be thoroughly examined. Discussions with Starlink are ongoing, and no final decision has yet been reached.

ICT sector insiders said that for Starlink services in Bhutan, bandwidth currently comes from Singapore. Bringing bandwidth from such distant locations reduce quality and increase costs. Given its proximity, Bangladesh would be a more efficient hub, allowing Starlink to provide services to neighboring countries like Bhutan and Nepal more cost-effectively.

Currently, Starlink has four ground stations in Bangladesh, two in Gazipur and the remaining two in Rajshahi and Jashore.

Industry insiders said that the current demand for bandwidth in the country is around 9 terabytes, of which at least 7 terabytes can be supplied by the two submarine cables. The remaining comes from International Terrestrial Cables (ITC) from India.

Aminul Hakim, president of the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB), told Prothom Alo that the country’s current bandwidth demand and capacity must be carefully considered before allowing Starlink to export bandwidth.

He noted that if Starlink were to provide additional bandwidth, it would have to be sourced from India via International Terrestrial Cable (ITC). If the government can supply bandwidth through submarine cables, it could be profitable, but whether the necessary capacity exists remains a question.