SATELLITE SERVICES. Trade Undersecretary and Board of Investments managing head Ceferino Rodolfo (second from left) meets SpaceX senior manager for market access Brian Schepis (seated) on Nov. 16, 2021. SpaceX, founded by billionaire Elon Musk, eyes to put up Starlink internet satellite services in the Philippines. (Photo courtesy of BOI)
MANILA – The Board of Investments (BOI) on Monday said it continues to engage with Elon Musk’s SpaceX Exploration Technologies Corp. on the latter’s plan to set up its satellite internet services in the country.
“(Trade) Undersecretary (Ceferino) Rodolfo had a series of follow-up online meetings with the company, immediately following Senate ratification in December last year and an update session on February 2, 2022, upon the ratification of the proposed amendments to the Public Service Act (PSA),” BOI said in a statement.
Last November 16, Rodolfo had a meeting with SpaceX senior manager for government affairs Rebecca Hunter and senior manager for market access Brian Schepis at the Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C.
In the initial meeting, SpaceX subsidiary Starlink plans to put up a Philippine-registered company offering satellite internet services that will provide broadband connectivity to remote areas.
Internet over satellite will address the limited access for connectivity in the far-flung areas in the country.
“With the entry of Starlink into the Philippines, high-speed satellite broadband connectivity is expected to be delivered to customers nationwide, specifically in areas where connectivity has been a challenge,” BOI added.
Starlink provides the most advanced satellite broadband internet system, which has over 1,600 satellites as of the middle of 2021.
Currently, Starlink provides its services to 29 countries, with Ukraine being the latest after the embattled country suffered significant internet disruptions amid Russia’s assault in Ukraine late last week.
Elon Musk activated Starlink’s satellite services upon the request of Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov on Twitter. (PNA)
