SpaceX to launch Starlink satellite service in the Philippines

March 31, 2022 - 5:28 PM
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Elon Musk attends the opening ceremony of the new Tesla Gigafactory for electric cars in Gruenheide, Germany, March 22, 2022. (Patrick Pleul/Pool via Reuters/File Photo)

 Billionaire Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp (SpaceX) will launch its satellite broadband service in the Philippines, a first in Southeast Asia, the trade secretary said on Thursday.

  • SpaceX’s business permit application is being processed while the company scouts locations for its gateways, said Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.
  • The company is setting up a wholly-owned subsidiary in the Southeast Asian country, and aiming to deploy three gateways in the first phase of their launch.
  • Lopez did not specify a timeline or investment figure for the launch.
  • SpaceX’s Starlink uses a network of more than 1,400 satellites to provide internet access to far-flung regions or when communications are disrupted during natural disasters.
  • SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

—Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor