On Friday, May 27, SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced SpaceX Starlink Internet service is now available in the Philippines and two countries in Africa, Nigeria & Mozambique. "First two countries in Africa with Starlink regulatory approval; Starlink is now licensed on all seven continents!" said SpaceX. 

The Philippines is the first country in South Asia to have Starlink access. The country's National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) approved SpaceX’s broadband service rapidly. “We would like to thank the NTC for issuing Starlink’s VAS license 30 minutes after we submitted our application with complete requirements,” said lawyer Bien Marquez, the counsel for SpaceX Starlink in the Philippines.

"The NTC is steadfast in helping ensure that roll-out of Starlink’s internet access services will be done expeditiously and professionally," NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba said in a statement to Philippines Inquirer reporters. "This shows the government’s seriousness in addressing the connectivity needs of our countrymen in unserved and underserved areas. This will also prepare us in the event of natural disasters and calamities," he added.

Now, Starlink is now available across 36 countries including: the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Denmark, Chile, Portugal, Switzerland, Poland, Italy, Czech Republic,  Sweden, Mexico, Croatia, Lithuania, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Luxembourg, Latvia, Tonga, Hungary, and Ukraine. SpaceX plans to expand service to more countries in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East in 2023. The company recently released an interactive Starlink Coverage Map which shows where the internet service is "available" and on a "waitlist" by simply typing an address. 

Starlink is ideal for rural and remote areas around the globe where internet service is unreliable or completely unavailable. The Starlink user terminal is easy to set up without a professional technician, it costs $599 USD. Starlink’s standard internet service is $110 USD per month, with no data caps. The standard service has download speeds between 100 Mbps and 200 Mbps (megabits per second) and latency as low as 20ms (milliseconds). This month, SpaceX added a “Portability” option for an additional $25 USD per month for users who want to use the internet at locations where coverage is available, as well as a “Starlink for RVs” option that enables customers to use the internet as a pay-as-you-go service when they travel to a particular destination and pause it when not in use. Visit SpaceX's official website Starlink.com for more information. 

First two countries in Africa with Starlink regulatory approval; Starlink is now licensed on all seven continents! https://t.co/0dpjoek54i

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 27, 2022

Starlink approved by The Philippines 🇵🇭https://t.co/M1xjXUl473

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 27, 2022

BREAKING: SpaceX is officially entering the Philippines after it secured government approval. This is the registration statement of Starlink, the satellite-based internet service of Elon Musk. | via @monroyandoyan pic.twitter.com/Dta793kHJy

— Philstar.com (@PhilstarNews) May 27, 2022

Featured Image Source: SpaceX