Sy, Musk venture to finally offer internet services in PH by March

Sy-backed Data Lake Inc. and SpaceX’s Starlink—owned by tech mogul Elon Musk—are set to offer satellite-based internet services in the country by the first quarter after facing delays.

In a statement on Friday, the local data company owned by businessmen Henry Sy Jr. and Anthony Almeda said they had met with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to tackle the expedited entry of the SpaceX unit as an internet service provider (ISP) in the country.

“We are excited to finally introduce Starlink to the Philippine market by first quarter of 2023. The high speed, low latency broadband internet service through the use of satellites will be game changing in connecting our 7,640 islands to the rest of the world,” said Almeda, Data Lake vice chair and CEO.

Starlink faced delays in the production and deployment of its low earth orbit satellites, prompting to push its entry in the country to this year from the initial plan of December 2022.

Last year, Data Lake inked an agreement with SpaceX, making the Philippine company the first Starlink integrator in the country and Southeast Asia.

The government is currently working to fast-track the rollout of Starlink’s services in the country to enable internet connectivity in remote areas.

A Starlink satellite dish costs $599 while a monthly subscription is estimated at $99.

The Philippines is set to be the first country in Southeast Asia where the SpaceX division will offer satellite-based internet services.