The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has issued guidelines for satellite internet service operators, allowing wholly owned foreign companies to obtain licenses – paving the way for Elon Musk’s Starlink and similar companies to enter Bangladesh.
The guidelines are titled “Regulatory and Licensing Guidelines for Non-Geostationary Orbit (NGSO) Satellite Service Operators in Bangladesh”.
“To build, own, maintain and operate NGSO satellite systems and services, 100 percent foreign direct investment (FDI), foreign partnerships, joint ventures or investments by non-resident Bangladeshis are permitted,” the draft said.
In case of foreign investment, the entity will be required to follow the FDI policy of the government. In addition, all rules, regulations and instructions of Bangladesh Bank, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (Bida) and other authorities apply.
The development comes just a week after officials from Starlink, which has been trying to enter the Bangladesh market since 2021, met with several authorities in Bangladesh, including officials from BTRC and Bida.
According to the guidelines, the permit is valid for five years.
It adds that the licensee is authorized to provide the following NGSO satellite services: Broadband Internet Services, Intranet Services (Domestic Data Communications), Internet of Things and Machine-to-Machine Communications, Ground Station in Motion Service, Earth Research Satellite Service, remote observation/meteorological services and any other services approved by the BTRC.
However, operators are not authorized to provide direct-to-home services, broadcasting services, satellite IMT-based services or telecommunications services.
The application/processing fee is set at Tk 5 lakh, with an acquisition fee of $10,000 and an annual fee of $50,000. In addition, an annual station/terminal fee per terminal is set at $20.
The licensee will also have to share 5.5 percent of its annual audited gross revenues with the BTRC. Another 1 percent of gross revenues must be paid as part of the “contribution to the development and management of the space industry.”
The licensee must establish at least one gateway system in Bangladesh before commencing services. However, the BTRC encouraged the licensee to set up additional gateways.
Any user terminal placed within the geographical boundary of Bangladesh must be authenticated and served through this local gateway. As per the design, all traffic from these terminals should be routed through this local gateway for services within Bangladesh.
The NGSO gateway will connect to international Internet gateways to handle international Internet data traffic.
The licensee shall retain Internet protocol detail records, transaction detail records, call detail records (CDR), system logs or audit trails relating to CDR changes and network traffic data for a period of one year for investigation or as directed by the commission or as required by the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center under the law.
NGSO satellites are not stationary relative to the Earth’s surface; they orbit the Earth at a lower altitude and faster than geostationary satellites.
One of the largest companies competing for the market is SpaceX, which provides satellite internet coverage to more than 60 countries, with approximately 4,519 Starlink satellites currently in orbit.
The British company OneWeb has also launched a few hundred satellites into space. Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is also expanding into such ventures, with plans to launch more than 3,200 satellites in the coming years to provide global internet coverage.
However, the cost of the technology is prohibitively high in the context of Bangladesh.
For example, Starlink’s services cost about $120 per month for home users, with initial hardware costs ranging from $350 to $599, according to the website.
In contrast, local internet providers in Bangladesh offer 5 Mbps broadband for around Tk500 per month, while mobile internet costs between Tk400 and Tk500 ($4 to $5) for 30GB of data.
Mustafa Mahmud Hussain, a telecom policy analyst, said Bangladesh will soon experience a transformative shift with the introduction of NGSO satellite internet.
“Expanding connectivity in remote, underserved areas can empower students, boost business growth and strengthen community ties,” he said. “Realizing this vision requires fewer bureaucratic hurdles and affordable prices, with the support of the BTRC as a catalyst for change.”
