Remote islands to get high-speed internet via Bangabandhu Satellite

Bangladesh Communication Satellite Company Limited (BCSCL) has begun work to bring high-speed internet through Bangabandhu Satellite to 31 remote islands where it is difficult to give connections through cable or expand network.

The state company’s Chairman Shahjahan Mahmood said that they connected 20 of the islands via the first satellite of the country under a Tk 400 million project that is expected to be completed this year.

Hamed Hasan Muhammad Mohiuddin, the project’s director, said 11 of the islands are situated in Bhola, eight in Chandpur, seven in Patuakhali, and one each in Pirojpur, Barishal and Noakhali.

Saint Martin’s Island in Cox’s Bazar will also get internet access under the project for emergency reasons though it has mobile internet facilities.

The authorities are setting up around five Very Small Aperture Terminals or VSATs in each of the islands for connections with 10 Mbps download speed and 4 Mbps upload speed.

The schools and government offices on the islands were being given WiFi connections.

More than 300,000 people will get the services once the project is completed. It began in March 2019.

Mohiuddin said the project emphasises telemedicine and education. “We’ve achieved success after giving connections experimentally,” he said.

BCSCL began operating with its own earnings through the satellite two years after it was launched into space in May 2018.

As many as 35 private TV stations are using the satellite for broadcast. It is also used for direct-to-home television services.