JAKARTA: Elon Musk and Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin launched SpaceX’s satellite internet service on Sunday, aiming to increase connectivity in the world’s largest archipelago.
Musk, the SpaceX and Tesla billionaire, arrived in Bali by private jet on Sunday morning and later attended the Starlink launch at the Regional Medical Center in the provincial capital Denpasar.
Wearing a green batik shirt, he joined Mr Sadikin, Minister of Communications, Maritime Minister Budi Ali Setiadi and Minister of Fisheries Sakti Wahyu Trengono to inaugurate Starlink, a satellite service that will bring millions of Indonesians online. Said it will help you access.
“We are focusing this event on Starlink and the benefits that high-bandwidth connectivity will bring to rural islands and remote communities,” Musk told reporters in Denpasar.
“I think it’s really important to emphasize the importance of internet connectivity and how life-changing it can be.”
Indonesia is an archipelago nation of more than 17,000 islands, home to more than 270 million people, and three different time zones. After the launch, Musk said internet connectivity is also essential for learning and business.
“You can learn anything if you’re connected to the internet, but it’s very difficult to learn if you’re not connected,” Musk said. “And if you have a virtual service that you want to sell to the world, you can now sell it even if you are in a remote village, as long as you have an internet connection. So I think it can bring great prosperity to rural areas. .”
Indonesia is the third country in Southeast Asia where Starlink operates. Neighboring Malaysia issued the company a license to provide internet services last year, and the Philippines-based company signed a deal with SpaceX in 2022.
On Sunday, Starlink was launched at three health centers in Indonesia, two in Bali and one on the remote island of Alu in Maluku. Officials say services will be prioritized in health and education, as well as remote and underdeveloped areas.
Sadikin said he expected Starlink to bring high-speed connectivity to thousands of health centers across the country, allowing Indonesians in remote areas to access services that were previously unavailable.
“Thanks to Starlink…2,700 community health centers that had difficulty with internet access and another 700 community health centers that did not have internet access now have internet access. So services are now available in urban areas. It is no different from any health center,” the health minister said.
Starlink’s arrival in Indonesia is expected to facilitate equal internet access across Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
“Satellite-based internet services like Starlink will definitely be very beneficial for the country, as there are still many areas without access to the internet,” said Pratama Persada, chairman of the Communications and Information Systems Security Research Center. .
He added that other sectors in Indonesia, such as education and digital economy, will also be boosted by Starlink.
“Atop a mountain, in the middle of a forest, in the middle of the ocean, anywhere you need a good internet connection, you can enjoy the internet through these satellite-based services.”
