Bangladesh ISPs worried about Starlink’s entry
DHAKA, June 29 (Xinhua) — Stakeholders in the Bangladeshi telecommunications industry have expressed their worries over the possible dominance of Starlink in the country’s Internet Service Providers (ISPs) market.
They expressed their views at a workshop and press briefing organized by the Telecom and Technology Reporter’s Network, Bangladesh (TRNB) themed “Proposed draft telecom policy: Challenges for ISP industry” on Saturday in Dhaka.
Speakers at the press briefing urged the telecoms regulator to protect local enterprises and create healthy competition.
Starlink’s entry into the Bangladesh broadband market poses a significant threat to established stakeholders in the Bangladeshi telecommunications industry, ISPs to be more specific, said Mohammad Aminul Hakim, president of the Internet Service Provider Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB), which represents nearly 2,000 companies in the Bangladeshi internet sector.
He said the dominance of foreign operators could weaken local companies.
According to the speakers, who included, among others, ISPAB General Secretary Nazmul Karim Bhuiyan, if Bangladesh relies heavily on foreign companies like Starlink, the country’s critical communications infrastructure and cybersecurity could become vulnerable to foreign influence.
Md Emdadul Hoque, immediate past president of the ISPAB, had earlier reportedly questioned the need for satellite internet when local providers have already extended services to most parts of the country.
