In the invisible streams of data that power today's actual-virtual world, geography still matters. For decades, the digital lifeline of South and Southeast Asia has run through Singapore, whose data centres and submarine cables from the region's main internet hub. Now SpaceX's Starlink is proposing to redraw that map, with Bangladesh at its centre.
The idea is bold in its simplicity: turn Bangladesh into a terrestrial "gateway" for its low-earth-orbit satellites, creating a new, faster data path for Bhutan and other neighbours. By hosting a ground station, Bangladesh could link Starlink's satellites to its fibre-optic network, enabling data to flow back into orbit and across borders. In practice, this would bypass Singapore's dominance and allow landlocked states such as Bhutan to access high-speed, low-latency satellite internet through Dhaka.
For Bangladesh, this is more than an infrastructure project.
It presents a defining choice, one that promises economic and strategic rewards but also raises deep concerns over sovereignty, security and market stability.
Opportunities for a digital powerhouse: The most obvious attraction is economic. Building and maintaining a sophisticated satellite gateway demands large-scale investment and skilled expertise. Foreign direct investment on this scale would generate jobs for engineers, technicians and network specialists, while also transferring advanced technological know-how to the local workforce.
For Dhaka, the deal could mean not just revenue from transit fees but also a place on the digital superhighway connecting South Asia with the wider world.
Geopolitically, the implications are no less significant. By becoming a hub for satellite internet, Bangladesh would elevate its position from being a consumer of bandwidth to a provider of connectivity across borders. This would enhance its ties with Bhutan, Nepal and parts of north-eastern India, granting Dhaka greater regional leverage and reinforcing its standing in the Bay of Bengal's shifting technological landscape. Domestically, a Starlink ground station could bolster Bangladesh's own internet resilience. The country is heavily reliant on submarine cables, making it vulnerable to outages. A new gateway would add redundancy and expand bandwidth, potentially improving competition among internet service providers. For rural and remote areas long starved of connectivity, the trickle-down effect could be transformative.
Risks of dependence: Yet the opportunities are entwined with serious risks. The most pressing concern is about sovereignty. A Starlink ground station on Bangladeshi soil would inevitably carry data from neighbouring countries, but it would be operated by a foreign company bound ultimately to the laws of its home state. This raises difficult questions: who has final authority over the data? What protections exist to prevent foreign surveillance or misuse? And could a foreign government compel Starlink to restrict or sever services during a geopolitical crisis?
National security concerns are equally acute. The gateway would be a critical piece of infrastructure and, therefore, an attractive target for cyberattacks. A successful strike could disrupt connectivity not only in Bangladesh but also across borders, with severe diplomatic consequences. Market disruption is another concern. Even if Starlink's initial focus is on transit rather than consumers, its presence could eventually reshape the telecoms landscape. Local providers may struggle to compete with a global giant's resources and reach. Regulators such as the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission would need to craft careful rules to ensure fair competition and to protect the domestic industry while allowing innovation to flourish.
Finally, there is the question of over-reliance. Entrusting a large portion of regional connectivity to a single company carries inherent risks. Starlink's financial health, technological challenges, or corporate decisions could ripple across Bangladesh and its neighbours. Maintaining strategic autonomy would require diversification, with Bangladesh avoiding dependence on a sole provider.
Choosing the future
Starlink's proposal offers Bangladesh a tantalising glimpse of a different future-one where it moves from the periphery of the digital economy to its centre. The potential for economic growth, technological advancement and regional leadership is real and compelling. But it is also a double-edged sword. For Dhaka's policymakers, the challenge is not to decide with a simple "yes" or "no" but to negotiate an agreement that safeguards national interests. This means embedding legal guarantees of data privacy, ensuring Bangladesh's sovereignty over its infrastructure, enforcing robust cybersecurity measures, and protecting space for local competition.
The decision on deal will echo for decades. If handled wisely, Bangladesh could secure a new place as a digital linchpin of South Asia. But if it sacrifices too much for short-term gains, it risks trading away autonomy in exchange for influence. The world will be watching closely whether the Bengal Tiger can harness this technological opportunity without losing control of its own future.
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