Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, the chief adviser’s special assistant on posts, telecommunications and ICT, has said Starlink’s internet operations will not compromise Bangladesh’s national interests as two security measures have been incorporated to ensure that.
He made the comment at a briefing held at the Foreign Service Academy in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb said that Starlink will be required to use a local gateway. They must set up a satellite ground station, through which the internet will be routed. If they wish, they may also use a foreign gateway as an alternative—but only for monitoring active devices, for revenue purposes, and to protect the interests of the licensed gateway providers in Bangladesh, they will have to use a local gateway.
He added that the setup must allow for LIC, which means Starlink must comply with interception provisions under Bangladeshi law, as guided by the International Telecommunication Union.
Faiz Ahmad also added that to prevent unauthorised devices from entering the country, particularly in border regions, No Objection Certificates (NOCs) will be required for the devices.
He noted that issuing NOCs for thousands of individual devices could create procedural complexities. So batch-wise clearance has been allowed, meaning a group of devices can be brought in under a single NOC.
Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb also mentioned that a connection between Starlink and the NTMC (National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre) has already been established.
