Bangladeshi firms begin work with Starlink: Faiz Ahmad

“In some cases, Starlink is considering using land owned by Bangladeshi companies, while in others, it is looking at space within high-tech parks, he says

The interim government has revealed that several local companies have begun working on behalf of Starlink to establish a Ground Earth Station in Bangladesh.

Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, special assistant to the chief advisor on telecommunications and IT, said on Saturday that a Starlink delegation is currently visiting Bangladesh.

“During the visit, agreements have been signed with local companies to facilitate the launch of Starlink’s internet services in Bangladesh,” he said.

He added that these agreements cover land allocation, construction support, and infrastructure maintenance.

The Starlink team has identified specific locations for this initiative.

“Some of these sites involve land owned by Bangladeshi companies, while in other cases, Starlink is considering using land within high-tech parks,” he noted.

Starlink aims to offer seamless internet services in both urban and remote areas, including northern and coastal regions, even during power outages and natural disasters, said Taiyeb.

“Since telecom-grade fiber networks have limited reach in Bangladesh and power outages still affect remote areas, Starlink will accelerate the activities of entrepreneurs, freelancers, NGOs, and SMEs, boosting the digital economy,” he added.

“We will continue working towards implementing a viable model with Starlink within the next 90 days.”

ELON MUSK INVITED FOR LAUNCH

On Feb 19, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus formally invited Elon Musk, the founder of Starlink and CEO of SpaceX, to visit Bangladesh for the official launch of Starlink’s satellite internet services.

Musk will have the opportunity to engage with Bangladesh’s youth, who are expected to be the primary beneficiaries of this technology.

To ensure the successful rollout of Starlink, Yunus has instructed his High Representative Khalilur Rahman to closely coordinate with the SpaceX team and complete preparations within 90 working days.

FOUR MINISTRIES TO PRIORITISE DIGITAL CITIZEN SERVICES

Chief Advisor Yunus has directed the Ministry of Land, Ministry of Commerce, National Board of Revenue and Bangladesh Road Transport Authority to digitise citizen services as a priority.

According to a statement from the Chief Advisor’s Office on Saturday, he has assigned Taiyeb to oversee the measures for the initiative.

The plan includes:

• Automating ministry workflows,

• Ensuring 100% electronic file management,

• Implementing enterprise resource planning or ERP.

• Adopting digital signature systems.

Yunus has also emphasised interoperability of data between ministries to enhance service efficiency.

Instead of manual form submissions, the government will introduce secure APIs for data exchange, making processes smoother and more efficient.

Taiyeb added that the implementation of these directives will begin on a trial basis in select ministries within the next three months.