Starlink chooses Philippines for its first branch in Southeast Asia
The Philippines is set to become the first country in Southeast Asia to get access to Starlink broadband connections, a satellite-based service by US billionaire innovator Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, the government in Manila announced on March 31.
SpaceX will be setting up a wholly-owned subsidiary in the country and aims to deploy three gateways in the first phase of the launch.
Its respective business permit application is currently being processed, according to trade secretary Ramon Lopez who did not specify a timeline or the amount of investment for the project.
It is understood that SpaceX has plans to expand further in Southeast Asia, a region with areas where full broadband Internet coverage per cable or mobile phone base stations is often difficult or even impossible.
Reaching underserved areas with high-speed Internet
In the Philippines, such regions are primarily targeted by Starlink, while the system also would augment or complement existing broadband capacities, Lopez said.
This would support and increase capacities for micro, small and medium enterprises, as well as facilitate online learning, e-commerce and fintech, he added.
SpaceX’s entry in the Philippines comes shortly after President Rodrigo Duterte signed legislation that allows up to 100 per cent foreign ownership of public services in the Philippines, including telecommunication services.
Targeting the coverage of the entire world
SpaceX’s Starlink project, which provides Internet access via low-Earth-orbit satellites, was launched in 2015 by Elon Musk and meanwhile covers 29 countries with the ambition to extend coverage to the whole world by 2027. So far, 2,335 Starlink satellites have been launched in groups by SpaceX’s Falcon rockets, of which 2,110 are still in orbit.
The small satellites communicate with ground transceivers to provide high-speed Internet services at a download speed of between 100 and 500 megabits per second.
The company has so far attracted around a million subscribers for its broadband service, with a sharp increase in demand amid the Covid-19 pandemic. It is currently available in most European Union member countries, all over North America, as well as in Brazil, Chile, Australia, New Zealand and Tonga. Elon Musk further offered Starlink to users in Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion in February by sending thousands of free base terminals to the war-torn country.
[caption id="attachment_38360" align="alignleft" width="300"] Illustration: Above The Philippines[/caption] The Philippines is set to become the first country in Southeast Asia to get access to Starlink broadband connections, a satellite-based service by US billionaire innovator Elon Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, the government in Manila announced on March 31. SpaceX will be setting up a wholly-owned subsidiary in the country and aims to deploy three gateways in the first phase of the launch. Its respective business permit application is currently being processed, according to trade secretary Ramon Lopez who did not specify a timeline or the amount of investment...
The Philippines is set to become the first country in Southeast Asia to get access to Starlink broadband connections, a satellite-based service by US billionaire innovator Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, or SpaceX, the government in Manila announced on March 31.
SpaceX will be setting up a wholly-owned subsidiary in the country and aims to deploy three gateways in the first phase of the launch.
Its respective business permit application is currently being processed, according to trade secretary Ramon Lopez who did not specify a timeline or the amount of investment for the project.
It is understood that SpaceX has plans to expand further in Southeast Asia, a region with areas where full broadband Internet coverage per cable or mobile phone base stations is often difficult or even impossible.
Reaching underserved areas with high-speed Internet
In the Philippines, such regions are primarily targeted by Starlink, while the system also would augment or complement existing broadband capacities, Lopez said.
This would support and increase capacities for micro, small and medium enterprises, as well as facilitate online learning, e-commerce and fintech, he added.
SpaceX’s entry in the Philippines comes shortly after President Rodrigo Duterte signed legislation that allows up to 100 per cent foreign ownership of public services in the Philippines, including telecommunication services.
Targeting the coverage of the entire world
SpaceX’s Starlink project, which provides Internet access via low-Earth-orbit satellites, was launched in 2015 by Elon Musk and meanwhile covers 29 countries with the ambition to extend coverage to the whole world by 2027. So far, 2,335 Starlink satellites have been launched in groups by SpaceX’s Falcon rockets, of which 2,110 are still in orbit.
The small satellites communicate with ground transceivers to provide high-speed Internet services at a download speed of between 100 and 500 megabits per second.
The company has so far attracted around a million subscribers for its broadband service, with a sharp increase in demand amid the Covid-19 pandemic. It is currently available in most European Union member countries, all over North America, as well as in Brazil, Chile, Australia, New Zealand and Tonga. Elon Musk further offered Starlink to users in Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion in February by sending thousands of free base terminals to the war-torn country.
