Starlink to come to rural areas within a year, says Teo

JOHOR BARU: The government is planning to install 30 Starlink satellite Internet devices in rural areas within a year, says Deputy Communications and Digital Minister Teo Nie Ching.

She said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has received 10 Starlink units, of which four had been installed.

"After Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's virtual meeting with Starlink CEO Elon Musk, we have ordered 30 satellite Internet devices with a high performance specification that is catered to community usage," said Teo.

"Each unit is priced at RM11,613 which differs from the individual usage of Starlink, which is worth RM2,300.

"Once we get the order, we will immediately install it state by state within one year," she added.

Teo said that Starlink was still at the proof of concept or testing stage, adding that the best areas for the devices were being identified in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak.

She said this after conducting a visit to the Kampung Orang Asli (KOA) Sungai Temon community in Perling here on Saturday (Sept 2).

The MCMC previously installed the devices at UiTM Kuala Pilah, KOA Kemensah in Gombak, Selangor, and KOA Tonggang in Tambun, Perak.

"The fourth device was installed here in KOA Sungai Temon last Saturday (Aug 30). The next installation programme is expected to be in Sarawak before the Hari Malaysia celebration," she said.

Teo added that the Ministry was currently in talks with the Health Minister, Education Minister, and Rural and Regional Development Minister to expand it to schools and health clinics, including Sabah and Sarawak.

"We are still waiting for their feedback, and although this is just a temporary measure, if this proves to be successful, we might buy more units so that more areas would have access to the internet," she added.