Elon Musk launches Starlink in Bali, Indonesia
Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX, Tesla, and Twitter (now X), launched Starlink Internet service at a community health clinic in Bali’s provincial capital of Denpasar on Sunday, May 19. The inauguration took place in three health centres across Indonesia, with two in Bali and one on the remote island of Aru.
Musk had arrived on the island of Bali on his private jet, dressed in a green shirt made of traditional Balinese woven fabric called “endek,” early on Sunday morning. He was joined by several Indonesian ministers, including Communications and Information Minister Budi Arie Setiadi, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenganno.
The inauguration marked SpaceX’s commitment to enhancing internet connectivity in remote and unserved areas of the world and its first step into Indonesia, the home of 279 million people and the world’s fourth-most populous country.
In a press conference held after the ceremony, Musk said, “This can make it really a lifesaver for remote medical clinics, and I think it could be a possibility for education as well. When you have access to the internet, you can learn anything. But if you don’t have internet connectivity, it is very difficult to learn.”
Indonesia, an enchanting archipelago of over 17,000 islands, has some of the most far-flung places on the planet. While the majority of the mainland has all the basic amenities like power, water, and internet access, several areas still remain isolated and inaccessible.
Musk also conducted a speed test of the Starlink internet service during the ceremony on Indonesia’s one of the most outermost and uncatered islands, Aru, located 2,203 km away from Denpasar.
Indonesian ministers welcome Elon Musk’s Starlink
Several Indonesian ministers, headed by Communication and Information Minister Budi Arie Setiadi, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin, and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenganno, had arrived to greet the SpaceX CEO upon his arrival in Denpasar on Sunday.
Earlier this month, Musk signed an agreement with Indonesia’s health and education sectors about launching Starlink services in the country. Communication and Information Minister Budi Arie Setiadi had informed us that due to the lack of transceiver stations on the remote islands of Indonesia, local service providers often fail to provide over 2/3rd of the population with access to the internet.
But now, with the entry of Starlink, government authorities believe that low-orbiting Starlink satellites will improve nationwide coverage, even on the remotest islands.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said, “Of the 10,000 health clinics across the nation, over 2,700 did not have access to the Internet. Now with Starlink, we can have them.”
Notably, Indonesian authorities have baited Tesla for years into opening EV manufacturing facilities in the country to bolster its EV sector as part of the government’s Golden Indonesia 2045 Vision. Under President Joko Widodo’s reign, the country aims to become one of the world’s top five economies, achieving a GDP of up to $9 trillion, precisely a century after gaining independence from Dutch colonisers.
Recent talks between President Joko Widodo and Elon Musk at the World Water Forum held in Bali on Monday have fuelled speculations about further investments by Tesla and SpaceX in the country.
Elon Musk meets Prez Joko Widodo at the World Water Forum
A meeting between billionaire Elon Musk and Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the 10th World Water Forum held on the island of Bali on Monday has sparked rumours about Tesla’s entry into the country after Starlink on Sunday.
The Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment Affairs, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, told reporters immediately after the meeting that the Prez had proposed the construction of an EV battery plant to the tech billionaire.
The minister said, “We made an offer; is it possible to build an EV battery factory, precursor to cathodes, here? And he said he would consider it.”
The government believes that being the world’s largest reserve for nickel may help Indonesia carve a brighter future in the world of tomorrow, of which EV is a huge part.
