[🇧🇩] ICT Industry in Bangladesh

[Saif]

Starlink gains just 3,500 users after 8 months in Bangladesh

Elon Musk’s Starlink has received a lukewarm response in Bangladesh in the first eight months since its launch in the country, as prices up to ten times higher than local broadband fail to attract subscribers.

www.thedailystar.net

Starlink gains just 3,500 users after 8 months in Bangladesh

Mahmudul Hasan

Elon Musk’s Starlink has received a lukewarm response in Bangladesh in the first eight months since its launch in the country, as prices up to ten times higher than local broadband fail to attract subscribers.

The satellite internet service, operated by SpaceX, attracted only 3,469 customers as of January 2026, according to data from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).

Starlink received its operating licence on April 29, 2025, and officially launched on May 20, initially offering two residential packages priced at Tk 6,000 and Tk 4,200 per month.

These rates are at least ten times higher than local broadband services, which on average start at Tk 400 for 5 Mbps and can reach up to Tk 1,200 for 40 Mbps.

Bangladesh has over 13 crore internet subscribers, including 1.45 crore broadband users.

Starlink’s uptake in Bangladesh is also considerably slower than in other markets where it launched in recent years.

In Kenya, which has fewer than 3 crore internet users, Starlink has managed to gain 4,808 subscribers in eight months since its July 2023 launch, according to data from the country’s Communications Authority.

Nigeria, with over 15 crore reported internet users, recorded 23,897 Starlink subscribers roughly 11 months after launching in January 2023, according to the Nigerian Communications Commission.

Industry insiders say Bangladesh’s dense population, widespread low-cost fibre coverage, and extensive mobile internet penetration have limited Starlink’s appeal.

Three authorised resellers -- Robi Axiata, Felicity IDC, and Bangladesh Satellite Company -- have each signed $2.5 million deals to distribute Starlink’s business and priority plans.

All three report difficulty finding customers willing to pay premium prices.

“General users are concentrated in areas with fibre coverage,” said Shah Ahmedul Kabir, general manager for sales and marketing at Bangladesh Satellite Company.

“So, we are focusing on niche markets such as hill tracts, remote char areas, maritime applications for fishing boats, and mobile connectivity on long-haul buses and trains,” he added.

Bangladesh Satellite Company has sold around 400 Starlink terminals and connected 12 schools across three hill tract districts, with plans to expand to over 150 schools.

Sharful Alam, chief executive of Felicity IDC, said enterprises view Starlink primarily as backup internet connectivity rather than a core service.

“It’s unlikely that people will abandon existing broadband services, given the significant price difference,” he said.

Felicity IDC’s Starlink packages, offering 1 TB (terabyte) to 4 TB data allowances, range from Tk 25,000 to Tk 75,000.

Starlink has built infrastructure at Hi-Tech City in Kaliakair, Gazipur, with gateways managed by Felicity IDC. Additional gateways operate in Rajshahi, managed by Bondstein Technologies, and in Jashore, also managed by Felicity IDC.

Summit Communications has connected the Kaliakair and Rajshahi sites via fibre links.

Starlink has also proposed exporting unfiltered bandwidth to neighbouring countries. BTRC is reviewing the proposal and plans to seek government approval, according to regulatory documents.

The regulator has emphasised strict conditions to ensure foreign traffic remains separate from domestic users.

Experts say that if approved, the arrangement could position Bangladesh as a regional data hub and generate foreign currency for local operators, though regulators are considering safeguards, including traffic separation, real-time monitoring, and compliance measures.​

 

[Saif]

Starlink in Bangladesh: Blazing fast, but few can afford

Bangladesh's Starlink service is currently among the most responsive in the Asia-Pacific, but high package prices make it unaffordable for ordinary households, according to a new report by Ookla, a global internet performance-tracking firm.

www.thedailystar.net

Starlink in Bangladesh: Blazing fast, but few can afford

Ookla report places Bangladesh among Asia-Pacific's top performers on latency, but flags affordability as a barrier to mass adoption

Jahidur Rahman

Bangladesh's Starlink service is currently among the most responsive in the Asia-Pacific, but high package prices make it unaffordable for ordinary households, according to a new report by Ookla, a global internet performance-tracking firm.

The milestone in latency came within just two operational quarters of its commercial launch. Starlink received its operating licence in Bangladesh on April 29, 2025, and officially launched on May 20, initially offering two residential packages priced at Tk 6,000 and Tk 4,200 per month.

The report states that the monthly fees consume a disproportionately large share of household income in Bangladesh -- placing it among lower-income markets where affordability remains a serious obstacle to mass adoption.

LOWEST LATENCY IN THE REGION

Starlink in Bangladesh has the lowest latency -- the time delay for data to travel from a device to a server and back -- in the region, as per the Ookla report. Low latency is crucial for responsive, real-time internet.

By the fourth quarter of 2025, Bangladesh recorded a median download speed of 88.95 Mbps and a response time of 35 milliseconds(ms) -- matching New Zealand and marginally faster than Australia's 36 milliseconds, despite those markets having used Starlink since April 2021.

The performance gap between markets, Ookla's report explains, comes down to where Starlink’s ground equipment is located.

Deploying a Starlink data centre in Nairobi in January 2025 reduced Kenya’s latency from 289 milliseconds to 53 milliseconds.

Countries with local ground stations get a faster, more responsive connection, while those routed through distant facilities experience noticeable lag. For instance, East Timor recorded 157 milliseconds and the Maldives 118 milliseconds in the same period, as they don’t have local ground stations and use distant gateways.

Among neighbouring countries, Sri Lanka, which launched in July 2025, reached a faster download speed of 140.68 Mbps by Q4 2025 -- but its latency of 103 milliseconds was nearly three times worse than Bangladesh's, a direct consequence of fewer local ground stations.

Bangladesh's strong figure reflects the ground facilities secured as a condition of its licensing agreement. Starlink has built infrastructure at Hi-Tech City in Kaliakair, Gazipur, with additional sites in Rajshahi and Jashore.

“For governments negotiating licensing terms, ground-station commitments are a meaningful lever on the quality of service their populations receive," the Ookla report notes.

Ookla also holds Bangladesh's regulatory process as a model for the region.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) built an entirely new Non-Geostationary Orbit licensing framework for satellite internet in weeks, a regulatory push that was partly “shaped by public demand following internet shutdowns” during the mass uprising in July 2024.

“The speed with which Bangladesh's BTRC built and approved a new licensing framework -- weeks rather than years -- shows what becomes possible when a government treats satellite broadband as a policy priority rather than a regulatory challenge," it states.

UNAFFORDABLE FOR ORDINARY HOUSEHOLDS

Starlink’s monthly residential fee is broadly similar across Asia-Pacific, ranging from roughly $45 in Australia to $68 in the Philippines, but its weight on household budgets varies sharply by income.

Bangladesh’s GDP per capita sits below $4,000, meaning the approximately $50 monthly plan takes up a far larger share of household income than it does in Japan, Australia, or even Malaysia.

The pattern repeats across lower-income markets in the region. In Indonesia, where Starlink's entry-level plan costs more than double the typical household internet spend, growth has been driven largely by institutional users -- government health programmes, maritime operators, and industries in remote areas -- rather than ordinary households.

“Starlink’s pricing responds to demand and capacity conditions in ways that fixed-line operators typically do not,” states Ookla. For instance, Starlink introduced surge fees of roughly $490 to $574 for new subscribers in high-demand areas in Indonesia in July 2025, a pricing dynamic with no equivalent in fixed-line broadband.

Bangladesh appears to be heading in the same direction in terms of usage in ordinary households. The country’s three authorised resellers -- Robi Axiata, Felicity IDC, and Bangladesh Satellite Company-- have each signed $2.5 million distribution agreements focused on business and priority plans.

As of January 2026, the satellite internet service attracted only 3,469 customers as of January 2026, according to BTRC data, mostly due to prices up to ten times higher than local broadband failing to attract subscribers.

All three authorised dealers report difficulty finding customers willing to pay premium prices, The Daily Star reported last month.

“General users are concentrated in areas with fibre coverage,” said Shah Ahmedul Kabir, general manager for sales and marketing at Bangladesh Satellite Company.

“So, we are focusing on niche markets such as hill tracts, remote char areas, maritime applications for fishing boats, and mobile connectivity on long-haul buses and trains,” he added.

Sharful Alam, chief executive of Felicity IDC, said enterprises view Starlink primarily as backup internet connectivity rather than a core service.

“It’s unlikely that people will abandon existing broadband services, given the significant price difference,” he said.

Felicity IDC’s Starlink packages, offering 1 TB (terabyte) to 4 TB data allowances, range from Tk 25,000 to Tk 75,000.

For remote and underserved areas, however, the case for Starlink is clearer. Bangladesh Satellite Company has already connected 12 schools across three hill tract districts, with plans to expand to over 150 -- the kind of use case where satellite internet faces little competition from fibre or mobile alternatives.

Looking ahead, Ookla's report notes that the competitive landscape across the Asia-Pacific is shifting. Amazon's Project Kuiper is set to enter the region, while China's Qianfan Constellation has signed wholesale agreements with local operators in Malaysia and Thailand through a partnership model that sidesteps the foreign ownership constraints Starlink has had to negotiate market by market.

For Bangladesh, Starlink has also proposed exporting bandwidth to neighbouring countries through its local infrastructure -- a proposal BTRC is currently reviewing.

Experts say approval could position Bangladesh as a regional data transit point and generate foreign currency for local operators.​

 

[Saif]

Broadband now ‘main driving force’ of Smart Bangladesh: Speakers

Speakers at Broadband Expo 2026 stressed that broadband connectivity has become an essential service underpinning education, healthcare, e-governance and commerce, as Bangladesh accelerates its transition towards a “Smart Bangladesh”. Addressing the closing ceremony on Wednesday night

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Broadband now ‘main driving force’ of Smart Bangladesh: Speakers

FE ONLINE REPORT

Published :
Apr 16, 2026 22:45
Updated :
Apr 16, 2026 22:45

Speakers at Broadband Expo 2026 stressed that broadband connectivity has become an essential service underpinning education, healthcare, e-governance and commerce, as Bangladesh accelerates its transition towards a “Smart Bangladesh”.

Addressing the closing ceremony on Wednesday night at the Bangladesh–China Friendship Conference Centre in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Posts, Telecommunications and ICT and Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam said broadband is now “the main driving force” of the country’s digital transformation.

He said the government is working to expand high-speed internet to remote areas, make services affordable and create a business-friendly environment, adding that AI and freelancing training at the upazila level would help generate employment.

ICT Division Secretary Kazi Anwar Hossain, speaking as a special guest, emphasised that reliable and uninterrupted connectivity is the top priority for building a Smart Bangladesh.

He outlined key government goals, including “One Citizen, One ID, One Wallet” and the wider application of artificial intelligence in public services, noting that these depend on robust network infrastructure.

The three-day expo, organised by the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh under the theme “Linking People, Linking Future”, brought together policymakers, technology firms, ISPs and young innovators. With multiple pavilions and stalls, it showcased a range of solutions from fibre optic networks and cloud services to Internet of Things (IoT), robotics and AI-driven applications.

Industry participants highlighted a shift from basic internet provision to integrated digital services. Companies demonstrated innovations such as real-time tracking systems, environmental monitoring platforms, automated billing solutions and next-generation networking devices, including Wi-Fi 6 and high-speed routers.

Infrastructure providers also showcased core components such as fibre optic cables, servers and data centre services, underlining the backbone required for expanding connectivity nationwide.

A notable attraction was the student innovation zone, featuring robotics and drone projects.

Teams from leading universities presented locally developed technologies, including a Mars rover prototype and an indigenous drone initiative, reflecting growing efforts to reduce reliance on imported technology and foster homegrown innovation.

Speakers at the event called for stronger public-private collaboration, policy support and continued investment in broadband infrastructure to ensure affordable and high-quality internet services across the country.

The event was attended by senior government officials, regulators, industry leaders and technology experts, alongside local and international participants.​

 

[Saif]

Bridging the digital divide

Digitalisation has been a central theme of Bangladesh's national branding for well over one and a half decades. There has been unreserved national consensus across all political hues on digital transformation. The general expectation therefore is for the optimum utilisation of technology and a stea

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Bridging the digital divide

Atiqul Kabir Tuhin

Published :
Apr 19, 2026 00:36
Updated :
Apr 19, 2026 00:48

Digitalisation has been a central theme of Bangladesh's national branding for well over one and a half decades. There has been unreserved national consensus across all political hues on digital transformation. The general expectation therefore is for the optimum utilisation of technology and a steady rise in internet penetration. However, the country's march towards digitisation remains uneven, with one section equipped and another left behind.

The latest survey by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) lays bare this imbalance. It shows that 43.6 per cent of people in rural areas use the internet, compared to 75.7 per cent in urban areas, highlighting persistent inequality in access to digital services. Overall, 53.4 per cent of the population is connected to the internet, meaning nearly half of the population is excluded from the digital sphere.

As more and more services go online, internet access is no longer a matter of convenience but a basic necessity. Digitisation has reshaped communication, commerce, education and daily life. In fact, its importance is so widely recognised that the United Nations and several countries now recognise the right to access the internet as a fundamental human right. The digital disparities therefore risk widening existing socio-economic inequalities. For instance, the government's plan to introduce online classes for several days a week as a response to the energy crisis may exclude students who lack reliable internet access or appropriate devices, thereby deepening educational inequality.

Similarly, ongoing efforts to roll out a unified digital health system and expand e-governance services risk falling short of their intended impact if large segments of the population remain offline. This exclusion will further exacerbate inequality, affecting students, farmers and entrepreneurs alike.

Bangladesh, however, cannot bridge this gaping digital divide alone, and global cooperation is essential, whether through technology transfer, investment in infrastructure, or partnerships that make digital tools affordable and accessible. To that end, Bangladesh's recent call at the United Nations for greater global cooperation to bridge the digital divide is both timely and necessary.

At home, however, policy gaps remain. The interim government had taken steps to reduce bandwidth prices at different stages of the supply chain, aiming to make internet services more affordable. However, these benefits have not been passed on to consumers. Mobile operators, despite lower input costs, have largely maintained existing data prices, raising concerns that reduced costs are being absorbed as profit rather than shared as public benefit. In a time of economic strain, high mobile data costs remain a significant barrier to wider internet adoption. In fact, 43.6 per cent of respondents of the BBS survey cited high subscription costs as the primary reason for not using internet.

The issue is compounded by device accessibility. Nearly 46 per cent of the population still relies on feature phones, limiting their ability to access online services. More affordable smartphone packages could encourage a shift towards smartphones and enable broader participation in the digital economy. The private sector can play a critical role in this regard so that innovation does not remain confined to urban elites or higher-income groups. Ensuring that digital tools, platforms, and services are accessible and affordable is essential for inclusive growth.

Bridging this divide will require more than making devices and mobile data affordable. It must also involve a sustained push to improve digital literacy, as a large share of users remain passive consumers of online content rather than active participants in the digital economy. This calls for targeted awareness campaigns in schools and communities, alongside reliable and affordable internet access. A digitally equipped and literate population would have greater access to opportunities, enabling more citizens to engage meaningfully in economic activities and contribute to national development.​

 

[Saif]

Broadband sector set for major overhaul

Reform plan would reduce ISP tiers, formalise informal operators and improve internet speeds

www.thedailystar.net

Broadband sector set for major overhaul

Reform plan would reduce ISP tiers, formalise informal operators and improve internet speeds

Mahmudul Hasan

​

• Govt plans massive overhaul of broadband internet sector​
• Licensing categories set to be halved for efficiency​
• New reseller model proposed to regulate illegal operators​

Bangladesh is preparing a massive overhaul of the broadband internet sector in decades, as the government moves to dismantle a complex licensing regime, introduce a reseller model and attract foreign investment.

In this regard, top government officials have been holding a series of meetings with the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) on broadband reform guidelines prepared under the interim government, according to half a dozen people involved in the process.

The new government is broadly accepting the policy reforms proposed by its predecessor, though it is also introducing several significant changes of its own, according to documents seen by The Daily Star.

Bangladesh ranks near the bottom globally in terms of broadband service quality. Rehan Asad, the prime minister’s adviser on telecom and ICT, recently said the government aims to ensure broadband connectivity with speeds of up to 1 Gbps.

Such speeds are usually available in countries, including Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and France.

Officials said the planned broadband overhaul is a part of that broader push to raise service standards and modernise the country’s digital infrastructure.

One of the major changes under consideration is halving the number of ISP licensing categories.

Bangladesh currently has four tiers of ISP licences. Those are national, divisional, district and upazila-level licences. Under the proposed framework, the government plans to consolidate these into just two: national and district-level.

Existing divisional and upazila operators would be allowed to migrate into the new structure.

Bangladesh currently has around 2,500 ISP licences. Just before the fall of the Awami League in August 2024, the total had nearly reached 3,000, contributing to market disorder, fragmented infrastructure and inconsistent service quality.

Industry insiders say indiscriminate licence approvals over the years, often by political considerations, caused the number to balloon.

A SECTOR BUILT ON RAPID GROWTH

The country’s broadband industry has expanded rapidly over the past two and a half decades, driven by government digitisation projects and rising internet demand. As of March this year, subscriber numbers stand at around 1.45 crore.

In Bangladesh, internet services formally began in 1999, when the then Bangladesh Telegraph and Telephone Board (now the Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited) introduced dial-up services.

Private ISPs began deploying their own infrastructure in the early 2000s, and by the end of 2004, cyber cafés had spread across urban areas.

Many operators gradually extended Ethernet connections directly to homes and businesses, effectively functioning as local ISPs. Internet speeds accelerated significantly after Bangladesh was connected to the SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable in 2006.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic proved to be the single biggest catalyst for broadband expansion.

It had taken nearly two decades for the subscriber base to reach 50 lakh. But within roughly a year of the pandemic, the number crossed 1 crore as people turned to the internet for remote work, online education, digital commerce and entertainment.

That surge helped many small and medium ISPs grow into large-scale operators, creating employment for engineers, technicians and support staff.

Aminul Hakim, president of the Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB), said at least seven or eight companies now directly employ more than 1,000 people each.

“If you include their partner companies, more than two dozen companies now have over 1,000 employees each,” he said.

According to industry estimates, the sector now supports around 6 lakh to 7 lakh jobs, including graduate engineers, technicians, customer support staff and field workers.

Hakim said the number of authorised ISP connections stands at around 48 lakh, though the actual broadband footprint is considerably larger owing to unauthorised operators.

Industry stakeholders estimate Bangladesh has nearly 90 lakh broadband connections serving more than 3 crore users, consuming around 60 percent of the country’s nearly 10 Tbps international internet bandwidth and generating annual revenues of Tk 7,000 crore-Tk 8,000 crore.

THE RESELLER PROPOSAL

According to BTRC officials, between 7,000 and 8,000 unlicensed ISP operators are currently active across Bangladesh, leaving much of the sector unregulated and depriving the state of significant tax revenue.

To streamline the sector and attract investment, the BTRC and the telecoms division have agreed in principle to introduce a reseller model.

Under the proposed framework, unlicensed operators could register with the BTRC and operate legally without holding a full ISP licence.

Maj Gen (Retd) Md Emdad Ul Bari, chairman of the BTRC, said that resellers would not own licences, they would simply sell services provided by licensed ISPs.

However, several industry leaders are unconvinced.

ISPAB President Hakim said legalising resellers could allow politically connected illegal operators to rapidly capture local markets, undermining compliant ISPs.

He said the model could also reduce service quality in remote areas, create pricing irregularities and expose customers to exploitation. Small and medium entrepreneurs who had invested heavily over the years might struggle to survive against locally influential groups.

“I believe introducing a reseller model at this stage could create long-term instability in the broadband sector,” he said.

He added that unclear accountability between ISPs and resellers could complicate maintenance, technical support and cybersecurity management. Without strong regulation the model risks producing unhealthy competition, fragmented infrastructure and reduced network reliability.

However, a senior BTRC official said many of the unregulated small ISPs, including politically connected ones, are already purchasing bandwidth and riding on the infrastructure of larger ISPs.

“In reality, they already exist in the ecosystem. Bringing them under at least a minimum regulatory structure would improve oversight and accountability,” the official said, preferring anonymity.​