Musk arrives in Indonesia's Bali for planned Starlink launch

19/5/2024 13:52

        Tycoon Elon Musk arrived on the Indonesian island of Bali on Sunday ahead of the planned launch of SpaceX's Starlink internet service, which the Indonesian government hopes will boost internet penetration and health services in remote parts of the sprawling archipelago.
        
        Chief Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan greeted Musk's arrival by private jet at Bali's airport on Sunday morning, saying the two would discuss several important collaborations, including the inauguration of Starlink, according to a post on his Instagram page.
        
        He said, equal internet access across Southeast Asia's largest economy, home to more than 270 million people living in three time zones, would enable people in remote areas to enjoy the same fast internet as those in urban areas.
        
        He said, Musk, the billionaire head of SpaceX and Tesla, will launch Starlink with Indonesian President Joko Widodo at a community health centre in Denpasar, the capital of Bali, on Sunday afternoon.
        
        The satellite unit of Musk's SpaceX has already secured a permit to operate in Southeast Asia's largest economy, Communications Minister Budi Arie Setiadi told Reuters last week.