Communications and Digital minister Fahmi Fadzil today revealed that he has recently presented Starlink with the Network Facility and Service Provider License, allowing them to provide satellite-based internet services in Malaysia. As you may recall, the government had previously reached out to SpaceX, Tesla and Twitter CEO Elon Musk during a virtual meeting last week, requesting the purchase of several of the service’s receivers in order to be utilised at higher education institutions (IPT) and rural areas.
This is in line with prime minister Anwar Ibrahim’s statement from Saturday, where he told reporters that poor internet connectivity is one of the more common issues that have been brought up by IPTs which he’s visited across Malaysia. He also mentioned that Musk has agreed to provide 40 of Starlink’s receivers to help resolve this, and even more units if the government requires them.
Saya telah menyerahkan Lesen Pemberi Kemudahan dan Perkhidmatan Rangkaian kepada wakil Starlink baru-baru ini.
Ini sekaligus membenarkan Starlink menyediakan perkhidmatan internet satelit di Malaysia terutamanya di kawasan pedalaman. pic.twitter.com/Ywtyug62P6
— Fahmi Fadzil 🇲🇾 (@fahmi_fadzil) July 20, 2023
On Twitter, Fahmi said that he is hopeful that Starlink will first offer its services at higher education institutions and schools before expanding to remote and isolated areas. He added that coverage for internet access for populated areas in the country currently stands at 97%, while the remaining three percent face challenges due to geographical issues. In order to achieve 100%, the minister said the government is also ready to cooperate with other satellite internet providers apart from the SpaceX-owned service.
Starlink has already been accepting pre-orders for its services in the country since January this year, which was initially estimated to begin operating by the second quarter. However, we’ve already entered the third quarter of 2023, and nothing has been announced just yet. Hopefully, with the new licence, we would be hearing further developments in the coming days, weeks or even months.
