Starlink By August
Residential customers of the next - and believed to be the best global - satellite internet service provider, will have to contend with VSAT installation, SunBiz has established.
Starlink (TS2 SPACE), the fixed high performance satellite service provider for SpaceX, says it only caters to commercial and maritime users, for which it provides its own technical support staff.
While it does not have a Fiji office as yet, TS2 SPACE continues to encourage interested users to order online via email.
Earlier reports suggest the company was considering opening a Fiji branch.
Fiji’s internet penetration rate was 74.6 per cent of the total population at the start of 2022.
Trend trackers said Fiji users increased by 46 thousand (+7.3 per cent) between 2021 and 2022.
According to the official Starlink roadmap, its service should be available in Fiji by August at the latest.
SunBiz earlier established that the introduction of the service would have no bearing on the two main locally-based telco service providers, Digicel and Vodafone Fiji.
Last year, the FijiFirst Government announced the initial round of due diligence by Starlink, after SpaceX’s success in Tonga, following the impact of the volcanic eruption at Hunga-Tonga-HungaHa’apai.
In recent months, the Coalition Government confirmed the service would be available “soon”.
Certain subscribers from the main centres of the country have since signed up.
Minister for Trade, Co-operatives, Small and Medium Enterprises and Communications, Manoa Kamikamica is expected to comment on this later.
Starlink covers 45 countries.
“We have Starlink equipment in our warehouses in Poland and France,” the company told the Fiji Sun.
“We can deliver it globally via DHL Express.”
All up, customers could be footing over FJ$1500 for installation and first monthly service fee.
Costly as it may seem, Starlink’s service is said to be unrivalled for its high speed functionality.
Other packages are available on the company’s website.
Background about Starlink
Powered by the world’s largest constellation of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites.
Starlink’s high speed network is suited for all disruptive environmental conditions and supports activities that consume high amounts of data such as:corporate applications, streaming, and video calls
All of this is done without losing its high-speed functionality. Installation takes a few minutes. There is no long-term commitment to Starlink’s service. Customers can avail month-tomonth or long-term plans, and even put the service on pause to meet evolving connectivity needs.
Starlink is fully flexible for fixed land use, portable or commson-the-move
(COTM), all types of maritime sector vessels, and comms-on-thepause (COTP). 74.6%
The percentage of Fiji’s internet penetration of the total population at the start of 2022.