The digital future, promises a tech titan from Texas, orbits above us. For Bangladesh, a nation relentlessly pursuing its own digital destiny, this promise arrived not as a gentle offer but as a high-stakes proposition.
The Starlink saga in Bangladesh is more than a simple business negotiation; it is a complex narrative woven with threads of technological aspiration, sharp geopolitical realities, and profound questions of national sovereignty.
As the country stands at this crossroads, the path it chooses will resonate far beyond bandwidth and latency, touching the very core of its security and democratic integrity.
An unsolicited orbit
The story begins not in Dhaka, but in a corporate boardroom. Contrary to a nationally driven priority, the push for Starlink was initiated by the company itself. In early 2023, SpaceX’s Starlink unit representatives began engaging with Bangladesh’s regulatory body, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). Their objective was clear: Secure the necessary licenses to operate their satellite internet service within the country.
This unsolicited entry is a crucial point. Bangladesh’s own Digital Bangladesh vision has been largely built on terrestrial fiber optics and mobile broadband, with significant success. The government reported in 2023 that fixed broadband subscribers had reached over 13 million, a figure that does not scream of a desperate, unmet demand that only a foreign satellite service can fulfil. The initial engagement, therefore, was a corporate pursuit of market expansion, not a state-prioritized solution to a national connectivity crisis.
The strategic pivot
The BTRC, adhering to its mandate, presented a fundamental obstacle: Bangladesh’s telecom policy requires foreign operators to form a joint venture with a local company, holding at least 51% local ownership.
This is a standard provision for many nations protective of their telecommunications infrastructure, a sector universally treated as critical national infrastructure. Starlink, operating on a global, centralized model, balked at this requirement. Their application was left in limbo.
Then came the pivot. In recent months, as reported by The Daily Star, Starlink shifted its strategy. It is now “seeking nod to export bandwidth from Bangladesh.” This is a fascinating and technically nuanced manoeuvre. On the surface, it seems bizarre: How does one export a satellite signal? The answer lies in the network’s architecture.
Data from a user terminal in a neighbouring country -- say, India’s conflict-prone northeast or Myanmar’s restive Rakhine State -- could be beamed to a satellite and downlinked to a ground station in Bangladesh.
This data would then be routed onto the global internet. For Bangladesh, this represents an import of data traffic from a foreign entity and its subsequent export. It requires new regulatory permissions, creating a potential backdoor for Starlink to establish a physical presence without fully complying with the local ownership rule.
The geopolitical gravity well
This is where the issue is pulled from the realm of commerce into the gravity well of geopolitics. The implications are profound. By hosting a Starlink gateway, Bangladesh could inadvertently become a digital hub for non-state actors in neighbouring regions.
The evidence is not merely theoretical. In February 2024, Myanmar’s junta government formally sent a diplomatic note to Bangladesh, alleging that Starlink terminals were being used by rebel groups like the Arakan Army and were being smuggled across the border from Bangladeshi territory. They requested a crackdown.
The concerns in New Delhi are equally acute. India has its own stringent policies regarding satellite communication and data sovereignty, driven by fears of unregulated communication channels in sensitive border areas. If Bangladesh becomes a network hub for the region, it risks being caught in a crossfire of diplomatic blame and security grievances from two of its most significant neighbours.
The strategic benefit for a global power like the United States -- having a resilient communication network that operates outside the control of local governments in South Asia -- is obvious. For Bangladesh, the benefit is murkier, potentially trading diplomatic capital for a service it does not critically need. The question must be asked: Whose strategic interests are truly being served?
A question of democratic legitimacy
This leads to the most pressing domestic question: Who has the legitimacy to make such a far-reaching decision? Bangladesh is currently under the governance of an interim administration, a government tasked with steering the state until a newly elected government takes the helm. Its mandate is fundamentally about continuity and stability, not about initiating transformative policies that could alter the nation’s geopolitical posture for decades.
Can a policymaker without a fresh electoral mandate ethically approve a project that could recalibrate relationships with India, Myanmar, and China, and redefine the nation’s digital borders? The decision to allow a foreign entity to embed its critical infrastructure into Bangladesh’s soil is not merely administrative; it is profoundly political.
It binds the hands of future governments and could commit the nation to a path with unforeseen consequences. Such decisions rightly belong to a sovereign government operating with a full and unambiguous mandate from its people. Rushing this through an interim setup would be a disservice to the democratic process and national interest.
Pausing for a sovereign breath
Elon Musk’s vision for a connected planet is undoubtedly ambitious, a celestial dance of thousands of satellites. But for Bangladesh, the decision cannot be based on science fiction allure or the charisma of a billionaire who might just be more focused on getting to Mars. It must be a cold, hard calculation of national interest.
The priorities are clear: Strengthen our own digital infrastructure, enforce our own laws, and protect our own sovereignty. The government should complete a comprehensive, transparent cost-benefit analysis and subject it to rigorous public and parliamentary debate. This decision must be made by a fully mandated government, accountable to the people, not expedited under an interim mandate.
The stars can wait. Bangladesh must first ensure its feet are firmly planted on the ground, master of its own digital destiny, and at peace with its neighbours. The orbit of our nation’s future should be determined in Dhaka, not dictated from a corporate headquarters a world away.
Zakir Kibria is a Bangladeshi writer, policy analyst, and entrepreneur based in Kathmandu. He can be reached at zk@krishikaaj.com.