SpaceX’s Starlink officially goes online in Indonesia

SpaceX has officially launched its Starlink satellite internet in Indonesia, with Elon Musk visiting the country over the weekend to help debut the service.

After it was reported last week that Musk would be making the trip to Indonesia to help debut the satellite internet, Starlink officially launched on Sunday, according to plan. The visit included a video presentation that showed how Starlink can help address health needs in the country using real-time data input enabled by high-speed internet, along with some comments from Musk.

“I’m very excited to bring connectivity to places that have low connectivity,” Musk said during the visit (via Reuters). “If you have access to the internet you can learn anything.”

Bringing connectivity to remote communities radically improves access to education and economic opportunities
pic.twitter.com/hDVYvpRDKZ

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 19, 2024

During the event, some also asked if Musk or Tesla had any plans to invest in the country’s electric vehicle (EV) industry, to which he responded that he was first focused on launching Starlink.

“We are focusing this event on Starlink and the benefits that connectivity brings to remote islands,” Musk said. “I think it’s really to emphasize the importance of internet connectivity, how much of that can be a lifesaver.”

Indonesia Communications Minister Budi Arie Setiadi said that, while Starlink is now commercially available in the country, the government will first concentrate on making the services available in outer and underdeveloped regions.

Musk will also meet with Indonesian President Joko Widodo in Bali on Monday, where he’ll take part in the nation’s World Water Forum conference. Indonesia is now the third southeast Asian country to get Starlink, joining Malaysia and the Philippines. You can see the full Starlink coverage map here.

The visit follows years of President Widodo courting Tesla to invest in the country, encouraging the automaker to both source nickel for EV batteries from the country, and to build a dedicated EV factory in the country.

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