SpaceX, the space exploration company founded by tech billionaire Elon Musk, has announced that its satellite internet service, Starlink, is now available in the Philippines. The announcement was made on SpaceX’s official Twitter account, stating that “Available na ngayon ang Starlink sa Pilipinas” or “Starlink is now available in the Philippines.”

The Philippines is among the countries highlighted on Starlink’s website where its low Earth orbit (LEO) internet service is now available. Data Lake, a data company headed by Henry Sy Jr., has revealed that it will be bringing Starlink to the Philippines in the first quarter of 2023, making it the first Starlink integrator in the country.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Assistant Secretary Philip Varilla earlier mentioned that the launch of Starlink in the country would be moved to the middle of 2023. However, with the latest announcement, it seems that the service has become available earlier than expected.

Starlink’s entry into the Philippines was initially announced in July last year. Starlink Internet Services Philippines, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SpaceX, planned to launch its LEO satellite internet services in the Philippines by December 2022. However, delays in the production and deployment of LEO satellites pushed back Starlink’s initial entry to the first quarter of 2023.

Starlink aims to provide high-speed broadband internet to end-users, including remote areas, by using satellites positioned in low-Earth orbit rather than the conventional and more costly underground fiber optic cables. The service plans to offer its service to Philippine customers at an initial $599 per satellite unit and connectivity service at $99 per month, with a download speed of 200 Mbps.

The Department of Trade and Industry earlier stated that the Philippines would be the first country in Southeast Asia to avail of the Starlink technology. With the service now available in the country, Filipinos in remote and underserved areas may now have access to reliable and high-speed internet connectivity.