Bangladesh approves first Starlink internet bandwidth exports
Dhaka clears satellite provider to route unfiltered internet traffic to neighboring countries, strengthening Bangladesh's ambitions to become regional connectivity hub
DHAKA, Bangladesh (MNTV) — Bangladesh has approved a landmark proposal allowing Elon Musk’s satellite internet company Starlink to export unfiltered international internet bandwidth through the country to neighboring nations, a move officials say could strengthen Bangladesh’s position as a regional digital connectivity hub and create a new source of foreign currency earnings.
The approval, granted by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission after clearance from the Posts and Telecommunications Division, marks the first time Bangladesh has formally allowed a satellite internet provider to use the country’s infrastructure to carry international internet traffic across its borders, according to The Daily Star.
Under the arrangement, Starlink will use an International Private Leased Circuit (IPLC) connection to transport unfiltered internet bandwidth from Bangladesh to neighboring countries. Officials said the service is intended solely for international traffic and will not be available to users inside Bangladesh.
The state-owned Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited will serve as the primary supplier of bandwidth under an existing three-year agreement with Starlink.
If it cannot meet demand, private infrastructure operators Summit Communications and Fiber@Home will be permitted to provide additional capacity.
Bangladesh currently connects to the global internet through two submarine cables linked to Singapore and seven international terrestrial cable operators that import bandwidth from India.
Internet traffic destined for domestic users is normally routed through government monitoring systems before reaching internet service providers and mobile operators.
The newly approved arrangement is different because it allows Starlink to transmit unfiltered international internet traffic across Bangladesh to other countries without passing through domestic content filtering systems.
Such connectivity is widely used for international data transit because it avoids restrictions such as firewalls, deep packet inspection and application-level blocking that can affect network performance.
BTRC Chairman Md Emdad ul Bari said the unfiltered bandwidth would not be distributed within Bangladesh and would instead be used exclusively for cross-border internet connectivity.
Technology analyst Sumon Ahmed Sabir said the decision could help transform Bangladesh into a regional internet transit hub while enabling local telecommunications infrastructure companies to earn export revenue from international bandwidth services.
He noted that neighboring landlocked countries such as Nepal and Bhutan require unfiltered international connectivity to ensure reliable, high-quality internet access, adding that few countries would choose to route internet traffic through networks that have already been filtered by another government.
Starlink received its operating license in Bangladesh in April 2025 to provide non-geostationary satellite internet services. The company launched commercial services the following month and officially began operations in August.
It currently sources around 80 gigabits per second of bandwidth from two international internet gateway operators to serve customers within Bangladesh.
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
