‘Starlink’ internet service of Elon Musk is now in the Philippines for PHP2,700 a month
Eccentric billionaire Elon Musk has a surprise for the people of the Philippines as his company SpaceX on Wednesday, February 22, just recently announced that satellite internet service Starlink is now available in the country.
In a tweet written in Filipino, the company made the sudden announcement. For those curious, anyone in the Philippines may subscribe for a monthly service fee of P2,700. Of course, that comes on top of a one-time hardware fee of P29,320.
Available na ngayon ang Starlink sa Pilipinas → https://t.co/slZbTmZmAt pic.twitter.com/4pl3isvnYX
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 22, 2023
The published rates for the residential internet service are lower than the previously announced $99 (Php 5,400) monthly fee and $599 (Php 32, 900) one-time hardware fee.
Based on Starlink’s availability map, the residential internet service is currently available in all parts of the Philippines, however, surprisingly, does not include the capital itself, Metro Manila, which currently sits on the waitlist.
According to the company, it expands to the region in the first quarter of 2023. Meanwhile, those in Metro Manila can already order and reserve access to Starlink.
Starlink promises download speeds of up to 200 Megabits per second (Mbps) compared to download speeds of up to 350 Mbps offered in other parts of the world which is currently not available in the Philippines.
According to SpaceX, “Starlink is the world’s first and largest satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, video calls and more.”
“Leveraging advanced satellites and user hardware coupled with our deep experience with both spacecraft and on-orbit operations, Starlink delivers high-speed, low-latency internet to users all over the world,” it added.
The Department of Information and Communications Technology earlier bared plans to deploy Starlink. They aim for geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas that are not reached by the fiber optic network of local telecommunications companies.
The satellite internet service may also be used to provide online access in areas affected by disasters, particularly those cut off from regular internet and telecommunications services.
