Starlink, the satellite Internet project run by Elon Musk’s aerospace company SpaceX, has just announced its goal of covering areas in Vietnam next year.
However, it is not easy for Elon Musk’s business to have coverage in Vietnam because Internet access service business – a type of telecommunications service is a conditional business.
Sharing with VnExpress on the morning of April 8, the Department of Telecommunications said that up to now, Starlink has not had any specific proposals or recommendations on applying for a license to provide official services in Vietnam.
According to regulations, if Elon Musk’s satellite Internet project wants to have coverage in Vietnam, it must have a commercial agreement with a Vietnamese enterprise that has been licensed to provide telecommunications services with satellite transmission.
The Telecommunications Department said it is collecting information and coordinating with functional units to work with Starlink as soon as possible, in order to promptly guide businesses to comply with legal regulations if they provide services at this location.
Starlink said it aims to have coverage in Hanoi by 2022 and allows users to make a deposit for 99 USD.
According to the Department’s representative, there is currently no independent foreign enterprise officially providing satellite Internet services in Vietnam.
The fact that Starlink introduced a coverage target in Vietnam in 2022 and offered a deposit of 99 USD, the Department said, only expressed their opinions, expected business plans or for advertising and marketing purposes.
Because Starlink does not have a legal agreement in Vietnam, this agency recommends that people and businesses should be cautious before deciding to deposit for this satellite Internet service.
Currently, based on the introduction on the website, the Starlink Pre-order Agreement is only officially applied in only 15 countries.
The satellite Internet project designed by aerospace company SpaceX is in the testing phase of deployment in some areas of the US, UK, Canada, Germany and New Zealand.