By: Staff Writer
May 27, Colombo (LNW): President Ranil Wickremesinghe states that the initiative of integrating the global ‘Starlink’ network with Sri Lanka aims to address the Wi-Fi connectivity issues, particularly in areas outside Colombo.
President Wickremesinghe expressed that during his recent discussion with tech billionaire Elon Musk regarding the matter, the potential of solar energy and other renewable energy sources available in the country were also explored.
Meanwhile, the President said he extended an invitation for Musk to collaborate on significant projects in Sri Lanka.
Furthermore, he revealed that the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) has been tasked with assessing the ‘Starlink’ network, with most of the preliminary work already completed.
“We are awaiting feedback from the Ministry of Defence to proceed with approval”, he added.
President Wickremesinghe met with billionaire investor Elon Musk on the sidelines of the 10th World Water Forum High-Level Meeting being held in Indonesia on May 19, during which they have discussed the implementation of ‘Starlink’ in Sri Lanka.
Musk was in Indonesia’s resort island of Bali to launch Starlink satellite internet service in the world’s largest archipelago nation.
The billionaire head of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of social platform X had launched the service alongside Indonesian President Joko Widodo in a ceremony at a public health clinic in Denpasar, the provincial capital of Bali.
Preliminary engagement was initiated with SpaceX in exploring the introduction of Starlink Internet Services in Sri Lanka, the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL) said today.
The first round of discussions focused on regulatory aspects and prerequisites of initiating the service in the near future for Sri Lanka, the national agency said.
The announcement came in the wake of SpaceX is expanding the beta test of its Starlink satellite internet service, sending emails on Monday to people who expressed interest in signing up for the service, CNBC reported.
Called the “Better Than Nothing Beta” test, according to multiple screenshots of the email seen by CNBC, initial Starlink service is priced at $99 a month — plus a $499 upfront cost to order the Starlink Kit.
That kit includes a user terminal to connect to the satellites, a mounting tripod and a Wi-Fi router. There is also now a Starlink app listed by SpaceX on the Google Play and Apple iOS app stores.
