Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite internet service, received the operating permit from Chilean telecoms regulator the Department of Telecommunications (Subsecretaria de Telecomunicaciones, Subtel) to operate five satellite ground stations, enabling the operator to launch commercial services on a national level.
The Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite broadband provider backed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX venture said that the five satellite ground stations that will be available in the country in Caldera, Coquimbo, San Clemente, Puerto Saavedra, and Puerto Montt.
According to local media reports, the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Gloria Hutt, pointed out that “this news reflects the relevance that the country has for the telecommunications industry. For several months, Starlink has shown us its interest in conducting connectivity pilots, which have been successfully carried out in sectors such as Caleta Sierra, Sotomó, and now it is in a position to offer its commercial offer throughout the country. As a Government, we seek to create the conditions so that users can have different connectivity alternatives, with high-speed connections that allow them to access online content anywhere in the country. ”
Undersecretary of Telecommunications Francisco Moreno was quoted as saying: "We are facing a true milestone in terms of digital inclusion that will provide our users with one more connectivity alternative. From Subtel we promote connectivity by sky, sea, and land, bringing high-speed connections to different areas of our country, allowing students, entrepreneurs, or different productive sectors to be part of the digital revolution … Furthermore, the interest of companies such as Starlink, Amazon and other low-orbit satellite providers reveals that Chile is an attractive country for investment in telecommunications."
Starlink is a project of the SpaceX company, which seeks to provide connectivity in isolated or rural areas of the planet. The system, dependent on the constellation of low-orbit satellites that the aerospace company has launched into space, has become a world revolution in terms of digital connectivity.
