Events
The main reason Elon Musk’s Starlink is invited and being launched in Bangladesh is to stop internet ‘shutdown’ forever.
Press secretary to the chief adviser of the interim government, Shafiqul Alam, disclosed this in a post published on his verified Facebook account today, Tuesday.
Shafiqul Alam wrote, “The Sheikh Hasina dictatorship shut down Internet on scores of occasions during her 16 years of rule. Internet shutdown is a favorite tool of the dictators and autocrats to crack down protests or suppress any major opposition agitations. But in the process, hundreds of thousands of free lancers are affected. Some lose their contracts and jobs forever.”
“Starlink’s arrival in the Bangladesh market means no future government can fully shut down the Internet. At least BPO firms, call centers and free lancers will never be hit by any new attempt to stop the net,” he added.
Starlink is a satellite-based high-speed internet service. World’s top tech entrepreneur Elon Musk is the owner of this service providing company. This American billionaire is also an adviser to US President Donald Trump.
Chief adviser of the interim government, professor Muhammad Yunus discussed the matter with Elon Musk in a video call on 13 February. In that video call, they had a detailed discussion about the launch of Starlink internet service in Bangladesh apart from exploring areas of future cooperation.
Highlighting the significance of this initiative on national development, Muhammad Yunus invited Elon Musk to visit Bangladesh for the possible launch of Starlink service and Musk responded positively. He said, “I am looking forward to it,” reported BSS.
People involved in the technology sector say that if Starlink is launched in Bangladesh, high-speed internet service will be easily available in remote areas. So, there will be no difference between villages and cities in terms of internet service.
Youths will be able to use high-speed internet for freelancing and other internet-based work sitting in villages. Besides, Starlink could play a major role in quick restoration of communications following any type of disasters.
What is Starlink?
The internet service provided in Bangladesh at present depends on submarine cables. That is, mobile network operators and internet service providers (ISPs) provide internet service to people by bringing bandwidth through cables stretched under the sea.
Meanwhile, Starlink provides internet service through satellites. According to the information provided on the website of Starlink’s parent company SpaceX, their internet service comes from geostationary which orbits the Earth from 35,786 kilometers above.
Most satellite internet services come from single geostationary satellites that orbit the planet at 35,786 kilometers. Starlink is a constellation of thousands of satellites that orbit the planet much closer to Earth, which can provide high-speed internet service to the entire world.
As of 30 January of this year, a total of 6,994 Starlink satellites have been deployed. These satellites are orbiting the earth at about 550 kilometers (342 miles).
SpaceX started working on the project of Starlink in 2015 and it officially launched in 2019. They have operations in more than 100 countries around the world. Among south Asian countries, Starlink started their operation in Bhutan first.
How does Starlink work?
In order to receive Starlink internet service, the customer has to install a device like the television antenna, which maintains communication with the satellites orbiting the Earth. The customer gets internet service by installing a Starlink router that is connected with this antenna.
Starlink internet has a download speed of 25 to 220 Mbps (megabits per second). However, most users get a speed of more than 100 Mbps. Meanwhile, the upload speed on Starlink is usually between 5 and 20 Mbps.
According to internet speed testing and analysis company ‘Ookla’s statistics from this January, the average download speed in Bangladesh is a little less than 40 Mbps on mobile internet and, the upload speed is about 13 Mbps. Meanwhile, the download speed is about 51 Mbps and the upload speed is about 49 Mbps on broadband internet.
However, general customers get even lower speeds at home. And, it becomes difficult to be connected to the internet in many rural parts.
Cost
It is stated on Starlink’s website that people would need to buy necessary equipment to receive their internet services at home. It includes a receiver or antenna, kickstand, router, cable and power supply. This is called a Starlink kit, which costs between USD 349 and USD 599 (Tk 43,000 and Tk 74,000).
Starlink’s minimum monthly fee for residential customers is USD 120 (around Tk 15,000). For corporate customers however, the price of the Starlink kit and the monthly fee are more than double. The prices vary in different countries though.