Banglalink Wins BTRC Nod for Starlink Direct-to-Cell

Bangladeshi mobile operator Banglalink has received approval from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), the country’s telecom regulator, to launch a Starlink Direct-to-Cell service that connects ordinary mobile phones straight to satellites. The approval was reported on 23 September 2026 by The Business Standard, which said Banglalink announced it in a press release.

Key facts

• Banglalink said the launch would make Bangladesh the first country in South Asia to introduce Starlink Direct-to-Cell connectivity, according to The Business Standard.
• The service is designed for Banglalink customers with 4G-enabled phones, with no special handset, satellite dish or additional equipment and no installation, the same report says.
• It will initially support SMS and data-based messaging, The Business Standard reports.
• Approval followed a field demonstration in Cox’s Bazar on 2 and 3 August, held in front of BTRC officials and law enforcement representatives, The Daily Star reported in August.
• Neither report gives a commercial launch date or a price.

Why it matters

Direct-to-Cell is a different product from the Starlink service most readers know. The Daily Star explains that the technology lets compatible mobile phones communicate directly with satellites, which effectively act as mobile network towers in space, and that it differs from conventional satellite internet, which generally requires a dedicated terminal or dish.

That matters for anyone watching how satellite operators enter a market. Where Starlink’s dish-based service in India is sold to households and businesses as broadband, the Bangladesh approval routes satellite capacity through an existing mobile operator and its subscriber base instead.

The Daily Star also notes that if approved, the service would mark a significant expansion of mobile connectivity in Bangladesh by adding satellite-based coverage on top of the country’s existing terrestrial mobile network infrastructure.

What the service is meant to do

According to The Business Standard, the service combines Banglalink’s existing mobile network with Starlink’s satellite technology to extend coverage to the sea, remote islands, coastal communities and hill tracts. All Banglalink subscribers on compatible 4G-enabled phones will be able to use it wherever Direct-to-Cell coverage exists, the outlet says.

The operator identified fishermen and others working at sea, people living in remote areas and travellers as the main beneficiaries, the same report says. It added that the service could help people stay in touch with families and seek assistance during cyclones, floods, other natural disasters and electricity outages, when mobile towers, power supplies or other network infrastructure are damaged or unavailable.

Banglalink Chief Executive Officer Johan Buse framed the launch in those terms. “This is ultimately about people, not technology,” he said, according to The Business Standard, adding that 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.

How the approval came about

The regulatory decision closes a process that ran through most of 2026. The Daily Star reported that in April, Banglalink and SpaceX, the US company that operates Starlink, sought BTRC approval for an initial 60-day trial to integrate Starlink’s Direct-to-Cell connectivity with Banglalink’s mobile network.

In a letter to the BTRC dated 12 August, Banglalink said it had successfully completed all necessary technical, operational and regulatory assessments during the proof-of-concept phase, The Daily Star reported. The operator then asked the regulator to approve a commercial launch.

The Cox’s Bazar demonstration was the centrepiece of that case. Banglalink said it validated SMS and Lite Data connectivity, the generation of call detail records and IP detail records, lawful interception readiness and geolocation mechanisms, according to The Daily Star. Those are the compliance hooks regulators and police forces ask for, and they sit alongside the spectrum and landing rights questions that govern satellite services more broadly.

The Business Standard’s account of the testing is slightly broader: it says the proof-of-concept included demonstrations of SMS, data-based messaging and internet-based voice communication to relevant government and regulatory authorities.

Where the two reports differ

On the initial feature set, the two outlets describe it differently. The Daily Star, writing in August, said the proposed service was intended to support SMS first and Lite Data later. The Business Standard, writing after approval, said the service will initially support SMS and data-based messaging. Neither report resolves the sequencing.

Government position

The policy backdrop is permissive. Rehan Asad, telecom and ICT adviser to the prime minister, said recently that the government will allow all new technologies, including satellite-based services, to enable customers to receive better telecom services, The Daily Star reported.

Banglalink’s chief corporate and regulatory affairs officer, Taimur Rahman, said in that report that Direct-to-Cell has the potential to strengthen connectivity for communities in remote and hard-to-reach areas where traditional network infrastructure can be challenging to deploy, and that it complements existing mobile networks.

What this does not tell African readers

Both reports deal only with Bangladesh. Neither mentions Direct-to-Cell availability, pricing or regulatory filings in Zimbabwe or anywhere else in Africa, and neither says which other operators SpaceX is in talks with. For African readers the offer on the table remains the standard dish service, which in Zimbabwe Starlink’s dish kit is sold at $80 a month for residential use.

The Business Standard says Banglalink described the approval as a major step in making mobile services more accessible and resilient while reducing the limitations imposed by geography and dependence on terrestrial network infrastructure.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Starlink Direct-to-Cell on Banglalink support voice calls?

Not at launch. The Business Standard reports the service will initially support SMS and data-based messaging, while satellite connectivity is also intended to facilitate internet-based communication services. The same outlet says internet-based voice communication was among the capabilities Banglalink demonstrated to government and regulatory authorities during proof-of-concept testing.

What licence is Banglalink using for the satellite-to-mobile service?

According to The Daily Star, Banglalink asked the BTRC to approve the commercial launch under its existing Cellular Mobile Services Operator Licence, rather than a new satellite licence. The request covered SMS and Lite Data connectivity.

Has Banglalink announced a launch date or a price?

No. Neither The Business Standard nor The Daily Star reports a commercial launch date, a tariff or any bundling arrangement for the Starlink Direct-to-Cell service. Both reports stop at the regulatory approval and the testing that preceded it.

Is Bangladesh the first country in the world to get Starlink Direct-to-Cell?

The claim in the sources is narrower than that. The Business Standard reports that Banglalink said the launch would make Bangladesh the first country in South Asia to introduce Starlink Direct-to-Cell connectivity. Neither source makes a global first claim.