The entry of Starlink of Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the country will speed up the roll out of free broadband connectivity in unserved and underserved areas nationwide, the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) said.
DICT Secretary Ivan John E. Uy said the Philippines is the first country in Southeast Asia to enjoy Starlink’s services that promises to provide download speeds of up to 200 Mbps.
According to Uy, Starlink’s entry will be a game-changer and that its presence will augment and complement existing broadband capacities, enable faster broadband speeds and better connectivity, particularly in areas where connectivity has been difficult or impossible.
“In welcoming this new technology that is Starlink, our BroadBand ng Masa (BBM) program can now provide free high-speed internet access to our geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas in the Philippines, ensuring that no Filipino will be left behind,” he said.
At present, the national government’s free wi-fi program BBM, through DICT, has established 4,385 operational live sites in 73 provinces and in Metro Manila, across 601 cities and municipalities across the country.
With its low earth orbit (LEO) satellite network, Starlink can boost internet access in unserved and underserved areas in the country.
As of February 2023, Starlink is comprised of over 3,580 operational satellites but aims to have as many as 40,000 satellites to be able to deliver high-speed, low-cost internet to remote regions across the globe.
Starlink Internet Services Philippines Inc., the Philippine unit of SpaceX, earlier secured the approval of the National Telecommunications Commission as a value-added service provider.
Starlink’s VAS registration allows the company to directly access satellite systems, build and operate broadband facilities to offer internet services.
Starlink earlier partnered with Data Lake, a company led by billionaire Henry Sy Jr., to bring satellite broadband services across the country.
