Starlink is linking up this small island country in South Asia to the world

Starlink, the satellite internet service that is beaming high-speed internet to over 70 countries – even the most remote parts of the earth, is launching next in Sri Lanka, an island country in South Asia which lies in the Indian Ocean.

Soon, the Sri Lankan people, even those in the most rural areas, could have access to the internet with speeds up to 100 Mbps or more, thanks to the Sri Lankan government finally granting Starlink the license to operate in the country.

Well, Starlink must be doing something really good with its ambitious goal to provide internet access via a constellation of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, despite China's disapproval of its rollout in Ukraine and calls for it to withhold Starlink access within China. The Asian country has now launched its own low orbit satellites to rival Starlink's dominance.

But unlike China, which has about 77.5% of its over 1.4 billion population using the internet, as of December 2023, per Statista, Sri Lanka's internet landscape is... well, let’s just say... could use a little upgrade. With mobile internet connection speeds in Sri Lanka hovering between 7.4 Mbps and 12.8 Mbps, according to Opensignal, the country ranks around 102nd in the world for mobile internet speed and 94th for fixed broadband.

In rural areas, internet access is often slow, unreliable, and expensive. Currently with a population of over 23 million inhabitants, Sri Lanka's Internet users are expected to reach 21.71 million users by 2029, per Statista estimates. By contrast, China accounts for about one-fifth of the 5.4 billion internet users worldwide.

📊 The most and least expensive places to buy Starlink in the world

Starlink, the satellite internet broadband service owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, boasts connections to more than 2.3 million people in over 70 countries, and several other markets around the world – with the capability of delivering internet speeds of up to 150Mbps in any location in the world.

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Starlink's availability could be a real game-changer with Internet speeds up to 100 Mbps or more and with Sri Lanka being a relatively small country, it could see near-total coverage, making it one of the most connected nations in the region.

For Sri Lankans, it could mean a serious boost in internet accessibility, especially in underserved rural areas. Of course, better internet means better access to education, healthcare, and business and entertainment opportunities.

Like most developing nations where the satellite internet service is available, Starlink’s arrival in Sri Lanka is something to keep an eye on.

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The UK government says it will begin a trial programme of providing ultrafast internet to all homes across the country using Elon Musk’s Starlink technology in what appears to be its first test of web-linked satellites. According to the announcement, the first Starlink satellites will be deployed to provide

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