Banglalink had launched a trial “direct-to-cell” (D2C) service to bring people in remote hilly areas, river islands, offshore islands and at sea within mobile network coverage. Claiming the trial succeeded, the operator now wants to launch the satellite-based service commercially, and has applied to the regulator, the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), for approval.
Banglalink will run the service in partnership with Starlink. If approved, it plans to initially offer SMS and light data services, with the option to expand to voice and data services later.
Mobile networks have not been able to reach every part of the country. Building land-based network infrastructure is especially difficult in remote hilly areas, river islands, offshore islands, coastal areas and the deep sea, and the cost of installing and maintaining new towers in these areas is comparatively higher.
How D2C works
Ordinary mobile communication depends mainly on land-based mobile towers. A signal sent from a phone first goes to the nearest tower. But if there is no tower in an area, or a tower is knocked out during a disaster, the phone gets no network.
In direct-to-cell technology, a mobile phone’s signal goes straight to a satellite in space. The satellite relays the signal to a ground station, which connects to the relevant mobile operator’s network, enabling messages or data to be exchanged. The technology’s major advantage is that no separate satellite phone or special device is needed.
The service can be accessed using an ordinary, technically compatible 4G phone. When a phone moves outside mobile tower coverage, it will attempt to connect to the satellite instead.
Why it’s needed
According to BTRC data, the country’s four mobile operators have close to 190 million subscribers combined, with about 120 million using mobile internet. The operators have 21,369 of their own towers, with more than 7,000 additional towers shared among them.
Mobile networks have not reached every part of the country, however. Building land-based network infrastructure is especially difficult in remote hilly areas, river islands, offshore islands, coastal areas and the deep sea, where installing and maintaining new towers also costs more, leaving operators with little incentive to build towers in sparsely populated or remote areas.
Direct-to-cell technology could help ease that limitation. Where installing a tower is difficult, satellites could make limited connectivity available on ordinary mobile phones.
The trial
In April this year, Banglalink sought BTRC’s permission to trial the direct-to-cell service via Starlink. In May, the government granted permission for a two-month proof-of-concept trial, aimed at testing how effective it would be to provide satellite-based mobile connectivity, on ordinary phones, in areas outside conventional tower coverage. The technology was tested in areas outside network coverage, including Bandarban and Sandwip.
Banglalink said that as part of the trial, it demonstrated the direct-to-cell service to officials from BTRC, the Posts and Telecommunications Division and other relevant government and security agencies, showcasing functions including SMS, OTT-based messaging and OTT voice calls.
“Having successfully completed the trial, we are now awaiting the necessary regulatory approval. Once approved, we will be able to commercially launch this innovative technology,” said Taimur Rahman, Banglalink’s chief corporate and regulatory affairs officer.
Letter seeking commercial approval
After completing the trial, Banglalink recently wrote to BTRC seeking approval to commercially launch the service in partnership with Starlink. The letter said the trial had proven that conventional LTE-capable mobile phones can connect directly to the D2C service without any additional device, and on that basis sought permission to begin commercial operations under its existing cellular mobile services licence, initially offering SMS and light data services.
The letter also said D2C could serve as an alternative communication channel when ordinary mobile towers or fiber networks are damaged during natural disasters, and that fishermen and other maritime workers who currently remain outside land-based network coverage would also get the chance to stay connected through the service.
Banglalink said it remains committed to complying with all conditions and directives set by the commission for launching the service.
Asked about the application, Rahman said: “Starlink’s direct-to-cell technology has created the potential to further strengthen connectivity for people in remote and hard-to-reach areas. Having successfully completed the trial, we are now awaiting the necessary regulatory approval.”
What service will be available at first
Banglalink sources say that if commercial approval is granted, the first phase will involve launching SMS and OTT messaging, with voice and data services potentially added later. There is no basis for assuming that high-speed internet, comparable to ordinary mobile internet, will be available from the outset. The key benefit of direct-to-cell technology as currently used is that it creates an opportunity for limited-bandwidth connectivity even outside conventional mobile network coverage.
Questions over regulatory approval
Even though the trial succeeded, regulatory approval remains an important hurdle before commercial service can launch. The permission BTRC gave Banglalink was only for the trial, and came with a condition that it could not be taken as a guarantee of future commercial approval.
Discussions are also under way internationally over the spectrum used for direct-to-cell services. Under the International Telecommunication Union, a final decision has not yet been reached on how the IMT bands designated for mobile phone services will be used to provide mobile service via satellite. A decision is expected at the 2027 World Radiocommunication Conference.
There are also questions within Bangladesh’s own regulatory framework. BTRC’s guidelines for non-geostationary orbit satellite services bar providing “satellite and terrestrial IMT services” together under this type of licence — IMT referring to the technology and spectrum used for mobile phone services.
A BTRC source said, however, that the commission is thinking positively about the D2C issue.
BTRC Chairman Maj. Gen. (retd.) Emdad Ul Bari said the commission has not yet received the report on the direct-to-cell trial, and that a decision on the matter will be made once the report is received.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report