NTC expedites Starlink’s entry

MANILA, Philippines — After the US government asked Starlink to hasten its expansion to the Philippines, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has spared the firm additional licensing to speed up its entry here.

The NTC yesterday said that it approved the request of Starlink to classify its user terminals as customer premise equipment, allowing it to be exempted from radio station licensing.

The NTC decided to authorize the request to facilitate the Philippine entry of Starlink, especially as the broadband provider owned by billionaire Elon Musk wants to operate here within the first semester of the year.

However, the NTC said Starlink still has to comply with several requirements before it can start offering internet services to Filipinos. For one, Starlink must file an application before the NTC’s Equipment Standards Division for the modification of its type acceptance certificates.

Starlink must also secure from the NTC’s Regulation Branch and Radio Planning Division, as well as from the regional office in Metro Manila, permits to import. Furthermore, the firm must also obtain product registration and submit an affidavit of undertaking from the same offices.

NTC officer in charge Ella Blanca Lopez vowed that the agency would work with Starlink to enter the Philippine market within the first half of this year.

“The commission continues to work with Starlink in ensuring the latter’s immediate commercial rollout, provided that it complies with all existing and subsequent laws, circular, orders, rules and regulations,” Lopez said.

“Starlink’s internet service offering is a welcome development in achieving President Marcos’ plan to digitally link the archipelago,” she said.

On Tuesday Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez said that the Philippines is set to bag a new set of telco investments from the US for the year. For one, Washington instructed Starlink, operated by SpaceX, to hurry up in entering the Philippines.

“The US government has encouraged SpaceX to speed up agreements here in the Philippines. There has already been an agreement and that will definitely make it faster for us to be able to improve connectivity,” Romualdez said.

Starlink was scheduled to enter the Philippine market by December last year, but deferred that plan to the first semester of this year due to delays in the production of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites.

Starlink deploys LEO satellites into space to beam internet to the surface, allowing its services to be available anywhere in the world that the government plans to tap to provide connectivity in remote areas.