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Satellite internet service Starlink will be used on a trial basis during the Bangladesh Investment Summit-2025 scheduled to be held in the next month, said BIDA Chairman Chowdhury Ashik Mahmud Bin Harun on Sunday.
"We'll use Starlink on April 9 as a demo day. We'll try to live-stream the inaugural session (of the summit) across social media using Starlink internet," he said.
Referring to the countrywide internet shutdown that took place last year, he said foreigners and international buyers had felt anxious as the country virtually vanished from the digital world during that time. Underscoring the need for services like Starlink, Ashik Chowdhury said: "We cannot let that happen again."
He made the announcement at a press conference on the upcoming Bangladesh Investment Summit held at the Foreign Service Academy in the city's Baily road. The summit will be organised by BIDA from April 7-10 at a city Hotel.
Starlink is a satellite internet service providing company owned by US billionaire businessman Elon Musk.
About the summit, the BIDA chief said the major event aims at promoting the country's positive investment climate that is not widely known to the foreign investors.
"We are hosting the event to present a right and balanced view of Bangladesh to the foreigners. Many visitors told me that their perception has totally changed after they have visited Bangladesh for the first time," he said.
He mentioned that the summit has already attracted over 2,300 registered participants from 50 countries, including more than 550 foreign investors.
According to organisers, the top participating countries include China, the US, the UK, India, Singapore, and Japan. The event will serve as a platform for global investors to explore Bangladesh's evolving economic landscape, strengthened regulatory framework, and sector-specific opportunities.
Several high-profile business leaders will be attending, including Óscar García Maceiras, CEO of Zara Group; Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman of DP World; Rosy Winterton, Baroness and UK trade representative; Kyeongsu Lee, VP of Samsung C&T; JunSeok Han, CEO of Giordano; Steven Kobos, CEO of Excelerate Energy; Mike Orgill, Head of Public Policy for Uber Asia Pacific; and Sarim Aziz, Director of Public Policy at Meta.
The summit will also feature participation from venture capital firms such as B Capital, Gobi, Conjunction, Marubeni, and GFR, focusing on startup investments and digital economy expansion.
As part of the summit's activities, a delegation of 26 members from South Korea will visit Chattogram, Mirsarai, and the Korean EPZ on April 7. Additionally, a startup-focused event will take place on the same day at Hotel InterContinental Dhaka.
On April 8, international investors will visit the Bangladesh Special Economic Zone (BSEZ) in Araihazar, Narayanganj, followed by an evening networking session.
The summit will be officially inaugurated on April 9 by Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus. The day's agenda includes the Youth Entrepreneurship Expo and a breakout session on renewable energy hosted by the European Union and UNDP.
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