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Telkom concerned over potential Starlink entry into cell business
The state-owned telecommunications firm highlighted Starlink’s Direct to Cell feature, which could soon provide a full-fledged cellular service directly to users’ smartphones.
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Tech billionaire Elon Musk gestures upon arriving to inaugurate a Starlink satellite unit at a community health center (Puskesmas) in Denpasar, Bali on May 19, 2024. (AFP/Sonny Tumbelaka)
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tate-owned telco firm PT Telkom has voiced concern over Starlink’s potential entry into the cellular services industry, saying it could disrupt local businesses on top of the impact felt by the broadband internet industry.
Telkom pointed out to the Direct to Cell feature possessed by Starlink, which is owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, that currently supports short messages and emergency notifications, but could soon evolve into a full-fledged cellular service.
“In terms of direct service to end customers, as we have mentioned on several occasions, we need state [intervention], as we cannot [compete solely] on the technology aspect,” said Bogi Witjaksono, Telkom’s director of wholesale and international service.
Bogi was speaking to lawmakers on House of Representatives Commission VI, which oversees trade, investment and state-owned enterprises (SOEs), during a meeting on Thursday.
Bogi explained that low earth orbit (LOE) satellites used by Starlink had advantages in lower latency compared with satellites owned by Telkom, which operate in higher geostationary orbit.
Thus, LOE satellites could also provide a service with speeds similar to Earth-based infrastructure, such as cables and cellular towers.
“Starlink is not the sole player in the LEO satellites business. In the near future, there will be many foreign players entering our country,” he noted, while calling for government attention to the issue.
