DENPASAR, Indonesia — On Sunday, Elon Musk visited Bali, Indonesia’s resort island, to debut Starlink satellite internet service in the world’s largest archipelago.
In a green Batik shirt, Musk was greeted with a garland of flower petals at a community health center in Denpasar, Bali’s provincial capital, where he and Indonesian politicians launched the Starlink service.
Indonesia, a large archipelago of 17,000 islands spread across three time zones with a population of over 270 million, has been attempting for years to obtain deals with Musk’s Tesla for battery investment and with Musk’s SpaceX to bring fast internet to the country’s distant parts.
Elon Musk Launches Starlink Satellite Internet Service In Indonesia, World’s Largest Archipelago
During the ceremony, Musk conducted a speed test of the Starlink internet connection with many health professionals from Indonesia’s remote regions, including Aru, one of the country’s least-served and most distant islands in Maluku.
“This can make it really a lifesaver for remote medical clinics, and I think it could be a possibility for education as well,” Musk stated to reporters.
“If you have access to the internet, you can learn anything and sell your company services around the world. So, I think it’ll be quite beneficial,” he explained.
He also inked an agreement to improve connections in the country’s healthcare and education sectors. Details of the arrangement between the Indonesian government and Musk’s SpaceX, the aerospace company that operates Starlink services, were not disclosed.
According to Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, the launch of the service at a health clinic is consistent with Starlink’s overall aim of offering inexpensive access to high-speed internet services, particularly in underserved and distant areas.
“Our remote regions need Starlink to expand high-speed internet services, especially to help with problems in the health, education, and maritime sectors,” said Pandjaitan, a close supporter of Indonesian President Joko Widodo. He had separate conversations with Musk on Sunday.
Budi Arie Setiadi, Minister of Communication and Informatics, previously stated that local internet providers, who rely on base transceiver stations to transmit signals, are unable to reach the outer islands due to poor coverage. Starlink’s satellites, which are still in low orbit, will help them provide speedier internet with statewide coverage.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin states that around 2,700 of the country’s more than 10,000 clinics lack internet connection.
Elon Musk Launches Starlink Satellite Internet Service In Indonesia, World’s Largest Archipelago
“The internet can open up better access to health services as communication between regions is said to be easier, so that reporting from health service facilities can be done in real time or up to date,” he stated.
Musk will also attend the 10th World Water Forum, which aims to solve global water and sanitation issues, during his first in-person visit to Bali.
Musk spoke in 2022 at the B-20 business gathering, which preceded the Group of 20 leading economies’ summit in Bali. He attended the meeting via video link weeks after completing his much-scrutinized takeover of Twitter.
Musk’s visit comes just weeks after Apple CEO Tim Cook met with Widodo on April 17, stating that the business will “look at” manufacturing in Indonesia. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella paid a visit on April 30 and announced plans to invest $1.7 billion in new cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure in Indonesia over the next four years.
Elon Musk Launches Starlink Satellite Internet Service In Indonesia, World’s Largest Archipelago
Indonesia, under Widodo, has pushed the growth of the digital technology and information industries in order to accomplish the government’s Golden Indonesia 2045 vision. The Netherlands aspires to be one of the world’s top five economies, with a GDP of up to $9 trillion, exactly a century after gaining independence from Dutch invaders.
SOURCE – (AP)
