Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited (BSCL) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Thales Alenia Space to expand the country’s capacity in Earth-observation systems and satellite-imagery use.
The agreement was signed at the Posts and Telecommunications Division on Tuesday in Dhaka in the presence of Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser, and Italy’s Ambassador Antonio Alessandro.
Taiyeb said Bangladesh is prioritising satellite-based technologies to improve land management, agriculture, disaster monitoring, climate resilience and national security. He said about 25,000 technology graduates enter the workforce each year and highlighted the need for a national satellite-image repository and unified data access for ministries. He called for greater collaboration with Thales on capacity building, institutional training, university partnerships and cybersecurity.
He said the MoU would open new areas of cooperation between Bangladesh and Italy in emerging technologies.
Ambassador Alessandro said the partnership is strategically important for national planning, disaster management and environmental monitoring. He said the programme combines optical and radar observation, making it suitable for Bangladesh’s weather conditions, and described the agreement as the start of a long-term technology collaboration.
Under the MoU, BSCL and Thales Alenia Space will work on skill development, knowledge transfer and pilot applications of Earth-observation data to support disaster management, climate monitoring, agriculture and urban planning.
Post and Telecommunications Secretary Abdun Naser Khan, BSCL Managing Director and CEO Muhammad Imadur Rahman and officials from Thales Alenia Space and the Post and Telecommunications Division attended the signing.
