The Philippine Department of Informational and Communications Technology will use Starlink for a new free public Wi-Fi program, ng Masa.
The government department has been rolling out the free Wi-Fi program for years through local telcos. However, per Philstar, the government now sees Starlink as a way to reach the Philippines‘ geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.
Currently, the Wi-Fi program covers 72 provinces and Metro Manila, with services in 601 cities nationwide.
Per Government numbers, ng Masa services around four million users across the nation.
As part of the latest budget, the Department of Informational and Communications Technology has 2.5 billion Philippine Pesos to develop ng Masa further.
It is unclear if the participation with ng Masa was part of the approval process for SpaceX in the country. Nor did the government confirm if access to Starlink services would be at a cost or would be free for the government.
