Starlink has been issued an operating license in Malaysia, bringing satellite internet services to remote areas of the country.
Minister Fahmi Fadzil revealed in a Facebook post that Starlink would start offering its services to schools and higher education institutions in the Asian country. However, he added that Malaysia is also working with Starlink and other satellite communication providers to boost internet coverage to 100 percent in high-population areas. About three percent of Malaysia’s populated areas struggle with internet access, thanks to geographical and infrastructural issues, as reported by the South China Morning Post.
SpaceX’s license comes a week after Musk and Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim held talks centered on the billionaire bringing some of his businesses to the country. The talks seem to be yielding fruits already as another of Musk’s companies, Tesla, launched the electric Model Y SUV in Kuala Lumpur, where it announced deliveries would start in 2024 after receiving approval to import and sell cars in April.
According to Tesla, the RWD Model Y will start at 199,000 ringgit (C$58,000/US$43,765) in Malaysia. This price is the most affordable for the base variant in the region after converting to local currency. Malaysia has become an attractive target for EV makers, with its goal of EVs making up 15 percent of total vehicle sales by 2030. The country offers tax breaks to promote EV adoption.
SpaceX is also working toward launching in India, where it has submitted an application for earth stations. Mongolia also recently granted SpaceX two operating licenses.
