On Sunday, Elon Musk and Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin launched SpaceX’s satellite internet service, Starlink, to enhance connectivity in Indonesia.
Musk, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, arrived in Bali on Sunday morning by private jet and attended the launch event at a community health center in Denpasar, the provincial capital. Wearing a green batik shirt, Musk inaugurated Starlink alongside Sadikin, Communications Minister Budi Arie Setiadi, and Maritime and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono. Musk emphasized that the satellite service would significantly improve internet access for millions in Indonesia.
“We’re focusing this event on Starlink and the benefits that high-bandwidth connectivity can bring to rural islands and remote communities,” Musk told reporters in Denpasar. “It’s essential to emphasize how transformative internet connectivity can be.”
“You can learn anything if you’re connected to the internet, but it’s tough to learn if you’re not,” Musk said. “Additionally, if you have virtual services to sell to the world, even from a remote village, you can now do so with an internet connection. This can bring significant prosperity to rural communities.”
Indonesia is the third Southeast Asian country where Starlink will operate. Neighboring Malaysia granted Starlink a license last year, and a Philippine-based firm signed a deal with SpaceX in 2022.
On Sunday, Starlink was launched at three Indonesian health centers: two in Bali and one on the remote island of Aru in Maluku. Officials noted that the service would prioritize health and education in outer and underdeveloped regions.
Health Minister Sadikin stated that Starlink would bring high-speed connectivity to thousands nationwide health centers, allowing Indonesians in remote areas to access previously unavailable services.
“With Starlink, 2,700 community health centers that had difficulties getting internet access and another 700 that didn’t have it can now be connected,” Sadikin said. “The services will be comparable to those at city health centers.”
The introduction of Starlink in Indonesia is expected to promote equal internet access across Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
“A satellite-based internet service like Starlink will be very beneficial for the country because many regions still lack internet access,” said Pratama Persadha, chairman of the Communication and Information System Security Research Center.
Persadha added that other sectors, such as education and the digital economy, would benefit from Starlink. “Regardless of the location—whether on a mountain, in the forest, or at sea—people can still enjoy internet access through satellite-based services like this.
