Reuters: Vietnam authorises SpaceX to launch Starlink service

The Vietnamese government has authorized SpaceX, owned by US billionaire Elon Musk, to begin operating its Starlink satellite internet service in the country, according to Reuters.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Science and Technology granted a license to Starlink’s local subsidiary to provide both fixed and mobile satellite internet services.

The approval was issued ahead of Vietnamese leader Tô Lâm’s visit to the United States to attend the inaugural meeting of US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace.” 

The start date for Starlink’s operations in Vietnam has not been specified.

Starlink is a satellite broadband network created by SpaceX to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet globally, especially where traditional internet is weak or unavailable. Two prototype satellites were launched in 2018, and larger operational batches began orbiting Earth in 2019, forming a constellation in low Earth orbit around 550 km above the surface.

The service connects customers via portable ground terminals to thousands of satellites, providing broadband capable of streaming, online gaming, and video calls with speeds often ranging from tens to hundreds of megabits per second.

Starlink operates the world’s largest satellite constellation, with regulators authorizing SpaceX to deploy up to tens of thousands of satellites, far more than traditional geostationary networks, to ensure near-global coverage.

By Jeyhun Aghazada