In an attempt to strengthen and boost internet connectivity in Manila, Manila Mayor and Presidential candidate Francisco “Isko” Moreno announced that he has been permitted by the Manila council to enter talks and negotiate with Elon Musk’s SpaceX to deliver Starlink’s satellite internet access.
This comes after Moreno was granted authority by City Council Resolution No. 46 to “negotiate and/or engage into a contract with SpaceX Enterprise for the use of Starlink, the world’s most advanced broadband internet infrastructure in the City of Manila.”
The endeavor by the City of Manila and Moreno to introduce Starlink to the country’s capital city comes after Starlink recently despatched its satellites to Ukraine after its internet connection was cut off due to Russia’s war with Ukraine. Bringing Starlink to Manila would help to improve internet connectivity in the city, particularly during disasters, and will benefit public school students in Manila who have limited or no access to the internet.
According to Starlink’s website, consumers may expect download rates between 100 Mb/s and 200 Mb/s with latency as low as 20ms in most places, thanks to the company’s low-orbit satellites providing fast speeds and low latency.