Satellite broadband provider Starlink, owned by Elon Musk, is receiving a mixed reception in the Pacific, though most countries seem willing to permit its operation.
It promises to deliver high-speed internet to the remotest regions by using thousands of satellites orbiting close to the planet.
However, it’s not welcome in Vanuatu, though, where officials are seizing the equipment.
Telecommunications, Radiocommunications, and Broadcasting Regulator Brian Winji said people using the service had signed up for it overseas, probably in Australia or New Zealand, and have brought the equipment into the country.
“They smuggle it into Vanuatu without customs knowing,” Mr. Winiji said. “[Starlink] is not allowed to operate inside Vanuatu without getting a proper license.”
The service was issued a temporary license to operate after two severe cyclones struck the country in quick succession. But that only covered 20 units given to the National Disaster Management Office, and it lapsed by the end of April. Anyone else using Starlink is doing so illegally.
Other Pacific Nations More Welcoming
But the chair of the Cook Islands telecommunications regulator, Bernard Hill, takes a very different view, telling RNZ International that officials who are banning the use of Starlink have an “overinflated view” of their importance.“They feel slightly offended by the fact that this happens without their, ‘Oh, you’re allowed to do that,’” he told the NZ publication. “[But] in deregulated markets, like the Cook Islands, like New Zealand, the rule is we let you do it until there’s a good reason to say ‘no.’”
Mr. Hill said he was approached by Starlink about a licence 18 months ago, but the company hasn’t yet decided on its local structure.
“But unlike the other regulators, I have authorised the roaming of devices purchased in New Zealand and Australia.”
He said Starlink and other low earth orbit satellite companies should work well in the Cook Islands Pa Enua (outer islands) that struggle with poor communications infrastructure.
Though he didn’t know how many people in the Cook Islands were using the service, it’s had a competitive influence on Vodafone Cook Islands—the nation’s biggest broadband provider.
“I can’t say Vodafone is happy about it but they are at least realistic about this being part of the future competitive environment and I believe they’re doing the best to cope with the challenge that presents them,” Mr. Hill said.
A Safeguard Against Disasters
Mr. Hill said as more Pacific economies come to rely heavily on Internet services, being cut off could be disastrous.“From the point of view of redundancy and resilience, having access to services from overhead as well as undersea is pretty important.”
In Fiji, Starlink has already been given a license but has not yet set up the service, though Fiji’s telecommunications authority chairperson David Eyre said it could be operational by the middle of April. Remote connectivity in Fiji was a consideration for giving the license.
“Coverage in those areas is probably one of the main reasons why we have licensed Starlink here in Fiji, to serve the remotest of the remote.”
People who had already brought Starlink equipment into the country will need to switch over to the local service when it is running.
“Starlink is in the process of finalising the operational procedures, processes and whatnot in preparation for launch. We are encouraged that they’re probably going to launch soon and when I say soon, probably early quarter two,” Mr. Eyre said.
