A satellite broadband deal between Dennis Anthony H. Uy’s Converge and Elon Musk’s SpaceX is ready for liftoff.
Converge ICT Solutions has reached an agreement to lease fiber lines and other ground support equipment to Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX).
A satellite broadband deal between Dennis Anthony H. Uy’s Converge and Elon Musk’s SpaceX is ready for liftoff.
According to Uy, they have reached an agreement to lease fiber lines and other ground support equipment to SpaceX, which was forming a constellation of thousands of low-orbit broadband satellites that will beam high-speed internet to far-flung areas on the earth’s surface.
“We leased our infrastructure to them and some earth stations,” Uy said. “In fact, in one of the [sites], the backbone and capacity, we are the ones providing it.”
Known as “Starlink”, the said project will commercially launch in the Philippines in 2023. It wasn’t immediately clear if SpaceX and Converge would expand their tie-up beyond the leasing agreement.
During the forum organized by the Rotary Club of Makati, Uy hinted at SpaceX’s plans to eventually go solo on its Philippine satellite broadband venture.
Based on a report on Inquirer, overseas investments in internet businesses have been allowed since 2018 after President Rodrigo Duterte issued an executive order lifting foreign ownership caps on selected segments.
READ ALSO | Senator Poe: Starlink Can Be New Telco Player In PH
SpaceX’s vision to provide satellite broadband in any part of the world has already faced some resistance.
According to a report, an earlier attempt to provide “Starlink” services in India was blocked by the Indian government after the company was found lacking the necessary license to operate in India.
“I think the direction is they want to go on their own, they don’t want to have to partner with locals,” Uy said.
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