MANILA, March 31 — The Philippines said on Thursday that it would host the Starlink project of US private space corporation SpaceX, making it the first Southeast Asian country to benefit from the technology for improved telecommunications services.
According to Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, SpaceX’s proposed project will use its Low Earth Orbit satellite network constellation dubbed Starlink to provide internet services in the Philippines.
According to Lopez, the launch of SpaceX’s Starlink in the country will provide users with considerably faster internet speeds, better connectivity, more telecommunications capacity, and more affordable prices, particularly in locations where connectivity has been difficult or unattainable.
He stated that preparations for SpaceX’s registration are underway and that the project should be completed before Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s six-year presidential term ends on June 30.
Last November, talks on establishing the SpaceX project in the country began. According to Lopez, the recent signing of the modified Public Service Act, which permits up to 100 percent foreign ownership of public services in the country, was a crucial element in the company’s choice to invest.
SpaceX is now developing a wholly-owned business in the Philippines to deploy three gateways in the first phase.