Banglalink launches Starlink-powered satellite-to-mobile service

Banglalink has launched a satellite-to-mobile service, powered by Starlink, which the mobile operator says makes Bangladesh the first country in South Asia to introduce it.

The service will keep customers connected during emergencies, natural disasters and prolonged power outages, when conventional mobile networks may be disrupted, the mobile operator said in a press release yesterday.

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It will be particularly valuable for fishermen, people working at sea, travellers, and communities in remote and coastal areas, including deep-sea locations within Bangladesh's Exclusive Economic Zone.

Customers can access essential apps and location services beyond the reach of conventional mobile networks. They need only a 4G phone and a Banglalink SIM.

Banglalink is offering Starlink internet free with any internet or mixed bundle pack for the first month of the launch. From the second month, customers will continue to receive it at no additional cost with selected monthly internet and mixed bundle packs.

Customers will also receive five free SMS messages every month for use over the satellite network.

"Connectivity is ultimately about people," said Johan Buse, chief executive officer of Banglalink.

"With Satellite-to-Mobile, we are bringing connectivity to more people and more places across Bangladesh," he added.

Starlink is run by US-based SpaceX. In 2025, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) issued guidelines for satellite services in non-geostationary orbit (satellites that circle closer to Earth than traditional ones). 
The same year, Starlink was granted a 10-year Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbit Operator Licence, which allows it to provide commercial internet services in Bangladesh, and a Radio Communication Operators Licence, which allows it to import and use radio equipment and approved frequency bands.

Banglalink received approval from the BTRC last month.

Banglalink is the country's third-largest mobile operator, behind Grameenphone and Robi. It is a subsidiary of VEON, headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and began operations in Bangladesh in 1997.