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Local telcos should be ready for Starlink competition, Luhut says
The senior investment minister has said the ball is in the court of local telcos to up their game to compete against Starlink on their home ground.
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SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket stands ready on May 16, 2019 at Space Launch Complex 40 of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, for its second launch to deliver 60 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit. (Handout/SPACEX/AFP/File)
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oordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan has dismissed concerns over the upcoming launch of Starlink services in Indonesia, which many deem could disrupt the domestic telecommunications industry.
Luhut said on Wednesday that while he was aware that Starlink could provide broadband internet connectivity at lower prices, he believed local telcos were the ones that needed to be prepared to compete with the company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Elon Musk’s aerospace firm SpaceX.
"Well, all must be able to compete,” Luhut told reporters in Bali, as quoted by Kompas.com.
The senior minister also highlighted Starlink’s capability to reach remote areas, thereby helping people across the country gain better access health and education.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is set to launch Starlink’s local network on May 19 in Bali, along with Musk, on the sidelines of the 10th World Water Forum (WWF).
Later this month, the satellite internet company is expected to begin trialing its service in Nusantara Capital City (IKN), currently under development in East Kalimantan.
The Communications and Information Ministry stated in April that Starlink had applied for two permits: one for very small aperture terminal (VSAT), which deals with small, two-way satellite devices, and the other for internet service provider (ISP).
