With Starlink recently getting approval from NTC and is slated to launch by Q4 of 2022, Filipinos need to manage expectations when it comes its initial coverage in the Philippines. In a Laging Handa briefing last July 4, DICT Secretary Ivan Uy said that coverage will initially be limited to the northern part of the Philippines.

“It will not reach the middle and southern part of the Philippines where we badly need this satellite connectivity. So it may take a bit longer before this service can be availed — until they can launch additional satellites that will cover Central Philippines and Southern Philippines,” Uy explained during the briefing.

While it may disappoint a lot of Filipinos who want to try out Starlink’s services, this is understandable since Starlink has to deploy the needed equipment in order to have full coverage in the Philippines. This has been the case in other countries, where it took months–or maybe years–before Starlink was able to offer comprehensive coverage in areas like the US.

Despite the rather limited initial coverage, Uy remains optimistic about how Starlink can help widen internet coverage in the Philippines, especially in areas he describes as missionary routes–which refer to areas where telcos may lose revenue if they set up a facility in that location due to the low number of users. “As far as we know, it looks like  Starlink plans to deploy a total of 40,000 satellites, and about 2,000 satellites have been deployed. And they will add some more satellites,” Uy adds.

Following its NTC approval, Starlink aims to offer high-speed, low latency satellite internet service with download speeds ranging from 100 to 200Mbps.