Vietnam says SpaceX plans $1.5 billion Starlink investment
- by The Jakarta Post
- Sep 26, 2024
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Log in Vietnam's foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
With 100 million people, Vietnam is a large user base for US internet companies such as Meta's Facebook and Alphabet, but its ageing equipment can disrupt operations of key optic fibre undersea cables.
Large mountainous swathes also make internet services less reliable in Vietnam, which could also use satellite internet for tasks such as tighter patrolling in the disputed South China Sea where it is often at odds with China.
Such a step may not go down well with Beijing, however.
Thursday's news follows a report this month on the government portal that cited Hughes as saying SpaceX aimed to provide Starlink services to the Southeast Asian nation, after the two sides had resumed talks.
At the time, Hughes, the company's senior vice president for global business and government affairs, said SpaceX's deployment of internet services in Vietnam aimed mainly to benefit education and disaster prevention efforts, state media reported.
Last year's talks were stymied by questions about ownership of the company SpaceX would have to set up in Vietnam, which limits foreigners' holdings in such firms to half, while SpaceX wanted at least a controlling stake, sources had told Reuters.
It is unclear whether this issue is still a hurdle.
Vietnam also requires data to be stored domestically, with strict controls on what is visible online.
Industry sources told Reuters SpaceX has suppliers in Vietnam, a major industrial hub home to large manufacturing operations of US firms and their contractors.
Apple, with dozens of suppliers in the country, said in April it wanted to invest more by increasing spending on them.
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