Starlink, a satellite internet service provider company operated under Elon Musk's SpaceX, has officially launched its service in Bangladesh. Faiz Ahmed Tayyeb, the chief advisor of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, announced the start of the service through Facebook on Tuesday.
According to Taiyeb, on Monday afternoon, the Starlink representative informed that the service had been started. On Tuesday morning, the company officially confirmed it through its X handle.
The Daily Star has reported that Starlink has released two packages in Bangladesh in the initial phase, namely 'Residential' and 'Residential Light'. The monthly fee of residential package is 6 thousand taka (about 8 thousand Nepalese rupees) and residential light is fixed at 4 thousand 200 taka . It is mentioned in the news that the initial equipment setup cost for both services will be 47 thousand taka. According to
Tayyeb, there is no speed limit or data cap on these services . He said that customers can use unlimited internet at 300 Mbps speed. "Although this is an expensive service, it has created a sustainable option for premium customers who want high-quality and high-speed Internet service," he said, "We believe that companies, NGOs, freelancers and entrepreneurs who want to expand their business in areas where fiber or high-speed Internet do not reach from this service will also benefit."
Interim Government of Bangladesh Prof. The Muhammad Yunus-led government has given approval to Slaughterlink to operate the service . Pvt. On March 25, Yunus directed the relevant agencies to start the service within 90 days. As per the instructions, the process was initiated and official license was granted to Starlink on April 28.
With this, Bangladesh has become the second country in South Asia to launch Starlink service after Sri Lanka. Pvt. Yunus congratulated everyone involved on the occasion of the launch of the service and expressed confidence that it will expand digital access to the remote and inaccessible areas of the country.
The government claims that Starlink's service will have no impact on Bangladesh's data sovereignty. It is said that all data traffic will be limited within the country as it will be operated through the local internet gateway. Starlink is set to pay a fee of $1 per device to the government. For the first time, Bangladesh has granted a Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) license to a service provider within 90 days.
