Starlink will start its internet service in higher learning institutions and school areas as an initial step in overcoming geographical constraints in remote areas.
Heaptalk, Jakarta — Malaysia has authorized Elon Musk’s satellite communications service, Starlink, to operate internet services in rural areas of the country. Malaysia’s Communication and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil announced the permit in his Facebook post (07/20).
“I have handed over the network service provider license to the Starlink representative recently. This allows Starlink to provide satellite internet services in Malaysia, especially in rural areas,” he stated.
Fahmi further said that currently, 97% of the populated areas in Malaysia have internet access. Meanwhile, the remaining 3% face internet access issue due to geographical location, such as remote rural areas or isolated islands. This causes network infrastructure to be difficult to build in the area.
For this reason, Fahmi conveyed that the Malaysian Government is opening opportunities for cooperation with satellite internet service providers, including Starlink which is a division of SpaceX, to fulfill 100% internet access in populated areas. “InsyaAllah Starlink will start their service in IPT (higher learning institutions) and school areas first as announced by YAB Prime Minister last week,” Fahmi wrote.
Providing faster and broader internet access
Previously, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim conducted a virtual meeting with Elon Musk to discuss the satellite communications service and Tesla. “We also discussed the participation of SpaceX in the Starlink satellite service, which can contribute to faster and broader internet access, especially in remote areas that require minimal physical infrastructure and land to improve global internet connectivity,” said Anwar after the virtual meeting (07/14), as quoted by Technode Global.
Elon Musk established SpaceX in 2002 as a spacecraft engineering company that designs, manufactures, and releases rockets and spacecraft. As a division of SpaceX, Starlink is claimed to be the world’s first and largest satellite constellation using a low earth orbit to deliver broadband internet.
According to the company statement, the satellite communications service is capable to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet to users all over the world by leveraging satellites and user hardware as well as SpaceX’s experience with spacecraft and on-orbit operations.
