The ICT Division had been in talks with SpaceX-owned satellite broadband Starlink for a year to keep citizens connected to uninterrupted high-speed internet even in off-grid and disaster situations. In continuation of this, the ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak held a meeting with Joel Merith, Global Affairs Manager of Space X and Pernil Urdhaores, Global Licensing and Activation Manager on Wednesday.
In the afternoon, during the meeting with the SpaceX delegation in the iDEA meeting room of the ICT Tower, the State Minister got 150 Mbps internet speed by installing Starlink’s antenna on the roof of the tower. Meanwhile, Palak invited Tesla CEO Elon Musk to meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Bangladesh.
At the end of the meeting, he said, to connect geographically isolated (hard to reach) or disaster-affected people to uninterrupted high-speed internet, the Starlink pilot program will start soon.
The state minister also said that they have received two Starlink devices and one of them will be used at Sheikh Russell Digital Lab located in remote areas where high speed internet is not available. And the other will be used in moving buses for training women.
A government official who attended the meeting said that, the SpaceX officials were asked whether Starlink could ‘meet the requirements of a legal barrier’ to prevent illegal activity in the digital realm. However, no clear answer was found.
Bangladesh Computer Council Executive Director Ranjit Kumar, ICT Directorate General Director Mostafa Kamal, a2i Project Director Md. Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan, Digital Connectivity Project Director Pranab Kumar Saha and EDEG Project Policy Advisor Abdul Bari Tushar were present in the meeting of ICT Division.
Earlier in the morning, in a meeting with the Chairman of Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited (BSCCL) Shahjahan Mahmud, the delegation expressed interest in providing satellite internet services in Bangladesh. At that time, if Starlink service was demonstrated, the download speed increased up to 500 Mbps, according to the related sources. At the same time, Starlink has retained 5 terminals to test its services.
Regarding the approval of Starlink services in Bangladesh, BSCCL Chairman Shahjahan Mahmud said whether they will get approval or not is a matter for the government’s decision. This will be a difficult decision as mobile operators and internet service providers already provide internet services in Bangladesh. However, the service can be provided in remote areas where there is no fiber optic line.