Senator Poe: Elon Musk's Starlink can be the country's new telco player

Senator Mary Grace Poe is optimistic about the potential of Starlink— Elon Musk’s SpaceX company—to become one of the telco players in the Philippine market.

Starlink

Starlink as a new PH telco player?

According to Poe, Starlink is targetting to put 12,000 satellites into low Earth orbit, which can deliver high-speed, low-latency, cheap internet access to anyone who has the proprietary Starlink receiver.

This, she noted, is a "game-changer" in the telco space as this could provide enhanced internet access to unserved and underserved areas.

It’s an exciting possibility. They are offering satellite technology for connectivity, Poe said.

While the initial cost is much higher than the rates in the local market, Poe believes that this will be lowered if more people would tap Starlink.

Setting this up, the senator said, subscribers may need to shell out USD 500 or about PHP 25,000.

Last month, Senator Aquinlino "Koko" Pimentel 3rd also expressed bullishness that the Philippines can take advantage of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite broadband project.

He said Starlink satellite broadband's potential system coverage of the country may begin by the third quarter of this year.

Pimentel reiterated the need to have reliable internet connectivity, especially now that the Philippines shifts to the new normal forced by the coronavirus pandemic.

Source: The Manila Times