Satellite to boost internet in PH, Asia-Pacific launched

The Asian Development Bank (ADB)-financed satellite that will provide high-speed internet to Asia-Pacific countries, including the Philippines, has been launched into space.

In a Dec. 17 statement, the ADB said Kacific Broadband Satellites International Ltd.’s Kacific1 satellite was launched by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida, and will orbit above Asia-Pacific within its 15-year service life.“The satellite will be able to deliver the most powerful signal ever achieved by a commercial satellite in the region, providing affordable broadband access to people in remote regions, many of whom have never had internet connectivity before,” the ADB said.

“Remote and rural communities are typically beyond the reach of traditional fiber optics as terrestrial distribution and infrastructure takes time to build and is expensive. Kacific1 will cover these communities in Pacific island-nations and in archipelagic countries like Indonesia and the Philippines. The satellite will also have beams over South Asia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea,” the ADB added. The ADB earlier signed its first-ever satellite financing worth $50 million with Kacific.

Besides ADB loans, the project will also be financed by ‍ the ADB-administered Leading Asia’s Private Sector Infrastructure Fund supported by the Japanese government’s aid arm Japan International Cooperation Agency.

“Satellite internet services, like those that will be provided by Kacific1, are very effective in reaching the last mile of internet access, connecting remote areas that would otherwise remain isolated and lacking crucial services that can improve livelihoods and incomes,” said Jackie Surtani, infrastructure finance division director for Southeast Asia, East Asia and the Pacific at the ADB’s private sector operations department.

“Information and communications connectivity are powerful tools in fighting poverty through better education, health care and disaster resilience. The ADB sees these innovative technologies as vital channels bringing inclusive development to the most remote corners of our region,” Surtani said.