San Francisco: Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Starlink, the satellite Internet division of his rocket company SpaceX, has received the green light in the Philippines, Nigeria and Mozambique.
In a statement on Friday, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) said it has approved the registration of Starlink Internet Services Philippines Inc. as a value-added service (VAS) provider, reports CNN Philippines.
“Starlink’s VAS registration now allows the company to directly access satellite systems, build and operate broadband facilities to offer internet services. The NTC’s swift processing of Starlink’s VAS provider registration was meant to expedite the service’s immediate roll-out,” the regulator was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, the CEO informed its Twitter users via a tweet that “Starlink approved by The Philippines”.
In another tweet, he also announced that the satellite internet service has been approved in Nigeria and Mozambique.
“Starlink approved by Nigeria and Mozambique,” he wrote on the microblogging site.
This month, a report said that Starlink is available in 32 countries, up from 25 countries reported earlier this year.
Recently, Musk was asked about an update on Starlink’s approval in India, to which he replied “we are waiting for government approval”.
In June last year, Musk claimed that Starlink would span the globe, including India, within months. But its plans to set up space in the country were dented.
Starlink registered its business in India via a local unit, Starlink Satellite Communications and targeted an April rollout.
But the Department of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Communications in December warned Starlink to get the necessary permission required to offer satellite-based Internet services in India.
The government told Starlink to stop “booking/rendering the satellite internet service” in India without a licence.
Starlink later announced that it will apply for a commercial licence in India by January 31, which it is yet to.
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