Starlink connection to cost Sri Lankans heavily for best broad speeds
June 08, Colombo (LNW): Billionaire business magnet Elon Musk’s satellite internet company Starlink is already approaching broadband speeds. Actually, Starlink Premium, a new higher-end tier, surpasses some of the best broad speeds available in the U.S., albeit, at an absurdly high price.
While it’s still somewhat early on, Starlink is already having an impact on people living in rural parts of the world.
SpaceX has also launched Starlink RV which is a service meant for users on-the-go or who live in campers
So far, SpaceX has launched more than 5,300 Starlink satellites with new launches scheduled quite frequently.
These satellites will continue to help cover the continental U.S., Canada and the U.K. At the same time, NASA and SpaceX have come to an information-sharing agreement to help avoid orbital collisions.
Sri Lankans will need to pay between US$ 400 – US$ 600 to obtain a Starlink internet connection, once its services are launched in the country.
Director General of the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, Madusanka Dissanayake, said that the initial setup or the registration cost for the service ranges from between US$ 400 and US$ 600, with a monthly fee of US$ 99.
Starlink is not yet established as a telephone network company in Sri Lanka. However, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission has approved it under Sections 17 and 22 of the Telecommunications Regulatory Act, granting it a frequency license.
The Act will be amended in the future to issue a Telecommunication Service provider license.The satellite technology allows for internet access anywhere in the world and offers speeds several times faster than the existing fibre technology in Sri Lanka.
State Minister of Technology, Kanaka Herath, announced that the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka has granted preliminary approval for Starlink to provide satellite-based internet services in Sri Lanka.
The State Minister emphasized that a two-week period has been allocated for a formal public consultation process regarding the approval of this internet service. Following this period, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission will take steps to implement the service in Sri LankaStarlink is also moving beyond providing satellite internet as SpaceX is also working on a Direct-to-Cell service that will start with text messages first before moving on to actual phone calls. In fact, the company sent out its first text messages at the beginning of 2024.
