Elon Musk, a famous businessman, arrived on the Indonesian island of Bali on Sunday. He is here to launch SpaceX’s Starlink internet service. The Indonesian government hopes this will help improve internet access and health services in remote areas.
Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan Indonesia’s chief investment minister, welcomed Musk at Bali’s airport. He said they would discuss important collaborations including the start of Starlink, on his Instagram page.
Indonesia is a big country with over 270 million people. It has three time zones. The government wants everyone, even in remote areas, to have fast internet like those in cities.
Musk, who leads SpaceX and Tesla, will launch Starlink with Indonesian President Joko Widodo at a health center in Denpasar, Bali’s capital on Sunday afternoon.
Indonesia’s communications minister, Budi Arie Setiadi said Starlink already has a permit to operate in Indonesia. Starlink can now provide internet services to people in the country.
Indonesia is the third country in Southeast Asia where Starlink will work. Malaysia and the Philippines also have agreements with SpaceX for Starlink services.
Starlink is widely used in Ukraine by the military, hospitals, businesses and aid organisations. Ukraine has asked SpaceX to stop Russia from using Starlink in areas occupied by Russian troops.
