People in areas where mobile towers, power supplies or other network infrastructure are damaged or unavailable will be able to reach their families and communicate during cyclones, floods, other natural disasters and electricity outages, under a Starlink Direct-to-Cell service Banglalink is launching with regulatory approval from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC).
The service is also expected to benefit fishermen and people working at sea, communities in remote areas and travellers passing through locations without mobile coverage, said a press release on Thursday.
Bangladesh becomes the first country in South Asia to introduce Starlink Direct-to-Cell connectivity, the press release claimed.
By combining Banglalink’s existing mobile network with Starlink’s satellite technology, the service will extend connectivity beyond conventional network coverage, reaching areas including the sea, remote islands, coastal communities and hill tracts.
All Banglalink subscribers with 4G-enabled phones will be able to access the service without a special phone, satellite dish or additional equipment.
Initially, customers will be able to use SMS, data messaging and WhatsApp calls through the satellite connection.
Banglalink CEO Johan Buse said, “This is ultimately about people, not technology. A fisherman far out at sea, a family in a remote area, or someone caught in a natural disaster should not have to worry about being beyond the reach of mobile services. With Starlink, Banglalink is taking mobile connectivity beyond the boundaries of traditional networks and bringing it to more people, in more places, across Bangladesh.”
