The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has allowed Starlink to provide bandwidth from outside the country for 90 days without establishing a local gateway.
The decision came after Starlink sought a temporary waiver as it would not be able to set up a local gateway within the 90-day deadline for launching services in Bangladesh.
BTRC Chairman Md Emdadul Bari confirmed the matter yesterday.
In March, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus had instructed authorities to ensure Starlink’s commercial launch within 90 days.
Bangladesh’s satellite internet guidelines require service providers to route internet traffic through local gateways and connect to an International Internet Gateway (IIG) for data transmission.
It remains uncertain whether Starlink will be allowed to commercially operate while supplying bandwidth from outside the country’s gateway infrastructure.
The BTRC granted Starlink a licence to operate satellite internet services on April 29.
Accordingly, Starlink Services Bangladesh applied for an NGSO Satellite Services Operator License, submitting required fees and documents. The company’s local office is located in Karwan Bazar.
“This is the fastest recommendation BTRC has ever made for such a licence,” a commission official said.