Elon Musk's satellite internet service Starlink will conduct a demo testing of its internet services on April 9 at the upcoming Bangladesh Investment Summit, said Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) Executive Chairman Ashik Chowdhury at a press briefing on March 23 at Foreign Service Academy.

However, this will not be the official launch of Starlink in Bangladesh as the commercial launch of Starlink will take more time. 

Bangladesh Investment Summit is scheduled to be held from April 7 to April 10 at Hotel InterContinental Dhaka. The event has already attracted substantial interest, with over 550 foreign investors from 50 countries registering to participate alongside more than 2,300 Bangladeshi investors, says BIDA.   

"We are very hopeful about the upcoming investment summit. Although investments will not increase by tenfold suddenly. However, we estimate at least 2 or 3 percent growth in investments," said Ashik Chowdhury.

Instead of focusing on seminars, the summit will focus more on networking and connection building. Government organisations like National Board of Revenue (NBR), the Ministry of Commerce etc. will get separate sessions with potential investors for relationship buildup. Representatives from political parties will also get chances to talk to investors separately.

According to BIDA, the summit will be attended by several business leaders, 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, Vice President 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. Additionally, leading venture capital firms such as B Capital, Gobi, Conjunction, Marubeni, and GFR will take part, focusing on startup investments and the expansion of the digital economy.

Mentioning that surge of local and foreign investments and their role in potentially creating more jobs, Ashik Chowdhury said, "We want to make the investors see the genuine picture of Bangladesh. We do not want to give them any false hopes." He added that the top participating countries in the summit include the US, China, UK, India, Singapore, and Japan.

As part of the summit's activities, major foreign investors, along with a 26-member delegation from South Korea, will visit key industrial sites, including Chattogram, Mirsarai, and the Korean EPZ, on April 7, according to BIDA.  A startup showcase programme is also scheduled to take place on the same day at Hotel InterContinental Dhaka.  

On April 8, leading foreign investors will visit the Japanese Economic Zone in Narayanganj, to explore investment opportunities. The day will conclude with a parallel evening programme at Hotel Intercontinental Dhaka. 

On April 9, the Chief Advisor to the Government of Bangladesh will officially inaugurate the main event, joined by ambassadors, policymakers, and business leaders. The day's programme will feature the Youth Entrepreneurship Expo, highlighting emerging business talent, and a breakout session on renewable energy, hosted by the European Union and UNDP, according to BIDA. In the evening, a special cultural event will be organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture for investors.

On April 10, a series of breakout sessions will focus on key investment sectors, including the digital economy, led by Citi NA and UNDP; textiles, in collaboration with HSBC and BGMEA; agriculture and agro-processing, supported by the Dutch Embassy and LCP; and healthcare, featuring insights from Inspira, EBL, and the Sajida Foundation. The day's agenda will also include a matchmaking session, facilitating direct engagement between investors and industry leaders, along with a roundtable discussion on global investment best practices.

UNDP, FCDO, Grameenphone, the World Bank, and FICCI are key partners for the event, as per BIDA.