Starlink, owned by American billionaire Elon Musk, has been approved by Jamaica’s Minister of Science, Energy, and Technology Daryl, Vaz to begin operations in the country.
After the Office of Utilities Regulation approved the company’s application for service provider and carrier telecoms licenses, Minister Vaz on Thursday granted the licence for Starlink Services Jamaica to begin providing high-speed, low-latency broadband Internet across the island.
The world’s first and largest satellite constellation, Starlink, is owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and uses a low Earth orbit to deliver broadband Internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, and video calls, amongst others.
Minister Vaz believes this new development will advance Jamaica to a digital society.
He shared that efforts are being made to broaden the connectivity across the island and noted that Starlink can provide high-speed Internet to underserved areas across the island that had never been connected to satellite Internet.
The minister also shared that consumers will now have more options in choosing service providers, adding that the technological development will aid in the country’s education and the health system as well as economic growth.
Starlink began operations in 2019 and is already present in more than 30 countries.
It offers unprecedented connectivity continuity during cases of natural disasters and emergency response and has provided support in the aftermath of hurricanes, following wildfires, and flooding.
The company has also assisted governments and public safety officials in other times of crisis.
Recently, it was revealed that SpaceX would use Starlink to supply satellites to aid in the restoration of Internet services in Florida regions affected by Hurricane Ian.
