Dhaka: Stakeholders in the Bangladeshi telecommunications industry have expressed their worries over the possible dominance of Starlink in the country’s Internet Service Providers (ISPs) market. They shared their concerns at a workshop and press briefing organized by the Telecom and Technology Reporter’s Network, Bangladesh (TRNB) themed “Proposed draft telecom policy: Challenges for ISP industry” on Saturday in Dhaka. During the event, speakers urged the telecoms regulator to protect local enterprises and foster healthy competition.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Starlink’s entry into the Bangladesh broadband market poses a significant threat to established stakeholders in the Bangladeshi telecommunications industry, with a specific impact on ISPs. Mohammad Aminul Hakim, president of the Internet Service Provider Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB), which represents nearly 2,000 companies in the Bangladeshi internet sector, emphasized that the dominance of foreign operators could potentially weaken local companies.
Speakers at the event, including ISPAB General Secretary Nazmul Karim Bhuiyan, highlighted concerns that reliance on foreign companies like Starlink could make Bangladesh’s critical communications infrastructure and cybersecurity more vulnerable to foreign influence. Md Emdadul Hoque, the immediate past president of ISPAB, previously questioned the necessity of satellite internet services when local providers have already extended their coverage to most parts of the country.