Sri Lanka gives preliminary approval to Musk’s Starlink

State Minister of Technology Kanaka Herath announced that the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) has granted preliminary approval for the implementation of the “Starlink”, the satellite unit of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, to provide internet services in Sri Lanka.

Accordingly, the approval is to be granted for “Starlink” to provide satellite-based internet services in Sri Lanka, following a formal public consultation process, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said. 

The details of the public consultation will be published tomorrow (07), according to the PMD.

Sri Lanka fast-tracked the approval process after Musk met with President Ranil Wickremesinghe last month in Indonesia on the sidelines of the 10th World Water Forum.

Musk and Wickremesinghe had discussed ways to expand internet connectivity in rural Sri Lanka and potential collaboration on renewable energy.

Unlike traditional telecommunications providers, which prioritise the most populated urban areas, Starlink aims to provide global coverage, extending internet connectivity to even the most remote corners of the planet.

Starlink can provide internet access to virtually any location on Earth with a constellation of LEO satellites that can be re-positioned at any point, and according to experts, reliable internet access is possible, whether the user operates in the Congo, the Arctic, or on an oil rig located hundreds of miles offshore.

So far, Starlink has more than 02 million active customers and is available on all seven continents and in over 60 countries.