The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has approved a request from mobile operator Banglalink to launch Starlink Direct-to-Cell, a service that connects ordinary mobile phones directly to satellites. The approval was made public on 24 September 2026. According to Banglalink and its parent company VEON, this makes Bangladesh the first country in South Asia to approve the technology.

How it works

Direct-to-Cell uses Starlink satellites in low orbit that act like mobile towers in the sky. Customers with existing 4G handsets will not need a dish, a special phone or a separate app. The first services will be text messages and data-based messaging, including calls through internet messaging apps, rather than full mobile internet.

The service is meant for places where land-based networks do not reach or have been knocked out. Banglalink has named the open sea, remote islands, coastal communities and the hill districts as target areas, along with backup connectivity during cyclones, floods and long power cuts, when mobile towers often fail.

Why it matters

Fishermen in the Bay of Bengal and people living on river chars are among those who most often lose signal. In the Munshiganj area, where the Padma and Meghna rivers carry heavy launch and cargo traffic and where erosion can isolate char villages, a satellite link to an ordinary phone could help people reach family or rescuers when local towers are down.

Banglalink chief executive Johan Buse said the aim was that people at sea, in remote places or caught in a disaster should not have to worry about being out of reach of mobile services.

Next steps

Banglalink first announced plans to bring the Starlink service to its customers in April 2026. No launch date or price has been announced yet. VEON presented the approval as one of several digital milestones at an investor meeting it hosted in New York on 28 September during the UN General Assembly week.

Starlink began offering fixed satellite internet in Bangladesh in 2025, which requires a dish. Direct-to-Cell is a separate service delivered through a mobile operator.

Sources: veon.com, globenewswire.com, en.wikipedia.org