Elon Musk launches Starlink internet in Indonesia's Bali

Denpasar: In Indonesia's resort Island of Bali, Elon Musk launched his Starlink service on Sunday. This is part of Indonesia's bid to extend its internet connectivity in its remote areas, Agence-France Presse reported.

In the archipelago nation of Indonesia, which consists of 17,000 islands, there are millions of people who are deprived of reliable internet services. On his first visit to the Southeast Asian nation, Musk launched the satellite unit services in Bali's capital, Denpasar.

In a news conference, Musk said that Starlink is excited to bring connectivity to places where there is no connectivity or low bandwidth connectivity. He said that this could make a lifesaver for remote medical clinics and would be transformative for the education sector.

Musk also signed a deal with Indinonesia's Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin on the health sector. He, along with his officials, attended a presentation by staff members from Indinesia's community clinics in Bali and Maluku provinces. The presentation was on increasing internet speeds using Starlink.

So far, the internet services have been pilot-tested in three health facilities in the regions to input different data sets into the national system for immunizations, child nutrition and diabetes.

Meanwhile, the Indonesian government is making its move to shift the country's capital from Jakarta as researchers found that large areas are going to be submerged by 2050 as sea levels rise. Also, there is land subsidence in Nusantara.

Starlink is already available in Southeast Asia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. It uses low Earth orbit satellites to provide internet to remote locations that have had normal communications infrastructure disabled, AFP reports.