Elon Musk arrived at the Indonesian island of Bali on Sunday, ahead of the anticipated launch of SpaceX’s Starlink internet service, which the Indonesian government hopes will increase internet penetration and health services in the archipelago’s rural areas.
According to a post on his Instagram page, Chief Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan welcomed Musk’s arrival by private aircraft at Bali’s airport on Sunday morning, stating that the two would discuss various significant collaborations, including the launch of Starlink.
People in rural locations would be able to experience the same speed internet as those in metropolitan areas if everyone in Southeast Asia’s largest economy—which is home to over 270 million people living in three time zones—had equal access to the internet, he said.
The billionaire founder of SpaceX and Tesla, Elon Musk, will introduce Starlink alongside Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Sunday afternoon at a community health center in Denpasar, Bali’s city, he announced.
According to Communications
Minister Budi Arie Setiadi, Musk’s SpaceX satellite company has already obtained a permit to operate in the largest economy in Southeast Asia, as reported by Reuters last week.
Starlink gained a permit to operate as an internet service provider for retail clients and was given permission to supply networks after receiving a very small aperture terminal (VSAT) permit, the minister said in an interview.
Starlink will operate in Indonesia, the third country in Southeast Asia. The previous year, Malaysia approved the company a license to deliver internet services, and a Philippine company arrived an agreement with SpaceX in 2022.
Starlink has also become popular in Ukraine, where it is used by the military, hospitals, enterprises, and charitable groups.
This February, the nation also encouraged SpaceX to take action to prevent Russia from using its Starlink terminals to communicate in areas controlled by Moscow’s soldiers.
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