SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet will soon be launched in the Philippines, where internet speed is among the worst in the world.
The country in Southeast Asia ranks 92nd for fixed broadband and 83rd for mobile internet speed, according to the Speedtest Global Index, with download speeds averaging 26 Mbps to 38 Mbps.
Starlink Internet speeds currently range between 50 Mbps and 150 Mbps, but SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has promised speed will double up to 300 Mbps “later this year” as the network grows.
There are currently more than 1,200 Starlink satellites in operation, forming a constellation that radiates high-speed broadband to Earth.
Coverage is limited to the US, UK, Canada, Germany and New Zealand, although Mr. Musk said last month that it would expand to most of the earth by the end of the year until next year.
SpaceX is currently in talks with Philippine internet service provider Converge Information and Communications Technology Solutions, with CEO Dennis Anthony Uy telling local media that an agreement is ‘underway’.
There are at least a dozen more Starlink launches planned for 2021, with plans to eventually launch up to 40,000 satellites.
Each launch delivers a further 60 satellites into a low-Earth orbit, and the frequency of Starlink missions is aided by a fast-reusable rocket developed by SpaceX.
The last launch on March 14 was the ninth time that SpaceX had launched and landed the same Falcon 9 rocket, breaking its own record for rocket-class reuse.
Starlink will theoretically be able to serve almost anyone and everywhere, but SpaceX’s goal is to deliver it to parts of the world where internet connection was usually a challenge.
“It’s important to note that cellular devices will always have the advantage in dense urban areas,” Mr Musk tweeted last month. “Satellites are best for areas with low to medium population densities.”
With more than 7,000 islands, the Philippines was able to demonstrate the advantages of Starlink compared to the current rural infrastructure, which can be expensive, inefficient and environmentally damaging in such topography.
However, Starlink faced its own criticism, with a coalition of astronomers warning that the high number of satellites needed could hamper observations and ultimately limit scientific discoveries.