Starlink, a major satellite broadband internet service provider, owned by SpaceX, is planning to launch services in a new popular country by this December. As per a report from the Philippines News Agency, Elon Musk-owned Starlink is going to launch services in the Philippines by the end of this year. The company’s goal would be to provide services in under-served areas. The Department of Information and Technology (DICT), at a press conference in Manila, said Starlink will deploy Starlink Internet Hubs in Q1 of 2023. These internet hubs will offer free internet services to the citizens in underserved areas. This would happen if Starlink could deploy its satellites a quarter before. Rebecca Hunter, Government Affairs Senior Manager, SpaceX, said that Starlink users would be able to tap into 100 Mbps to 200 Mbps speed and upload speeds of 30 Mbps to 40 Mbps and latency of 20ms. But there’s one issue with Starlink connections. They are very expensive to purchase and keep using. Thus, the DICT has decided to place Starlink in community shared spaces such as community centres. This way, everyone who needs internet can access it from there in an equal manner. Starlink is planning to deliver global internet coverage, and it will be able to do so if the company can crack how it can get regulatory approvals in every country.
Starlink’s Position in the Indian Market
For Starlink, India has been a tough market to crack so far when it comes to getting regulatory approvals. The company had initially planned to launch services in India by April 2022. But everything got off track when Sanjay Bhargava, former Country Head, Starlink, stepped down from his role at the company. There’s no confirmation on when Elon Musk-owned satellite internet company will be able to make it to the Indian market. But it will certainly be interesting to keep track of its services in other countries.
