Govt launches free Wi-Fi trial on intercity trains ahead of Eid travel

The government has begun piloting free Wi-Fi services on intercity trains as part of its plan to provide free internet access in key public places, transit routes and educational institutions.

The first trial was conducted on the Dhaka–Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar intercity train on Friday using Starlink satellite technology and next-generation Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology.

Next-generation PoE is an upgraded form that allows both electrical power and data to travel through a single Ethernet cable.

Rehan Asad, adviser to the prime minister on ICT and telecommunications, confirmed the development yesterday.

He said three more routes — Dhaka–Rajshahi, Dhaka–Sylhet and Dhaka–Khulna — will be brought under the free internet service within days.

According to him, the initiative follows a directive from the prime minister to roll out free public Wi-Fi in selected locations before Eid, fulfilling a commitment outlined in the government’s election manifesto.

The service is being rolled out through Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited, an authorised sales agent of Starlink.

Asad said the initial trial on the route showed promising results, delivering good internet speed.

Independent tests showed download speeds ranging roughly from 8 Mbps to 88 Mbps, while upload speeds generally ranged between 13 Mbps and 47 Mbps.

Latency during the tests ranged from around 23 milliseconds to 47 milliseconds during the journey.

A separate test using the Starlink application during the same trial recorded peak performance of about 136 Mbps download, 31 Mbps upload and around 31 milliseconds latency, suggesting that the satellite link itself is capable of higher throughput than some web-based tests indicated.

“We plan to deploy high-capacity, reliable Wi-Fi at a few airports and major railway stations before Eid and the remaining ones after Eid,” said Asad.

The country’s three international airports — Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, Shah Amanat International Airport and Osmani International Airport — are also expected to receive improved Wi-Fi connectivity right after Eid.