The government has launched a pilot project to provide free Wi-Fi services on intercity trains as part of its initiative to expand public internet access at key transport hubs, transit routes and educational institutions ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr.

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

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

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

According to him, the initiative follows a directive from Prime Minister Tarique Rahman to introduce free public Wi-Fi at selected locations before Eid, in line with a commitment made in the government’s election manifesto.

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

Officials said the initial trial on the Dhaka–Chattogram–Cox’s Bazar route produced encouraging results, with satisfactory internet speeds during the journey. Independent tests showed download speeds ranging from about 8 Mbps to 88 Mbps, while upload speeds varied between 13 Mbps and 47 Mbps. Latency during the journey ranged from approximately 23 milliseconds to 47 milliseconds.

A separate test using the Starlink application recorded peak performance of around 136 Mbps download speed, 31 Mbps upload speed and 31 milliseconds latency, suggesting that the satellite connection is capable of even higher performance.

Rehan Asad said the government also plans to install high-capacity Wi-Fi services at several airports and major railway stations before Eid, with the remaining installations to be completed after the festival.

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 shortly after Eid, officials said.