Manila mayor says planned SpaceX deal part of envisioned national internet system

MANILA Mayor Francisco “Isko” M. Domagoso said on Tuesday that the local government’s planned satellite deal with Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) could become part of his envisioned national internet system if he wins the presidential race in May.

“It looks like it will start soon. We are waiting for the regulatory agencies to process the side of Starlink SpaceX,” he said in Filipino in a live-streamed interview.

“After that, Manila can deploy about 896 disks for 896 barangays to make it available for 104 public schools, elementary and high school, two city colleges, seven hospitals, 15 police stations, the Manila Police District headquarters, City Hall and other satellite offices of city hall.”

Starlink is a constellation of multiple satellites that orbit the planet much closer to Earth, which is operated by billionaire Elon R. Musk’s SpaceX.

Mr. Domagoso met with SpaceX executives Tuesday morning to discuss the contract, which the Manila City Council authorized him to negotiate through a resolution.

The standard-bearer of Aksyon Demokratiko said that getting Starlink is part of his plan to build a national fiber optic backbone, which will enhance the country’s interconnectivity and can improve internet speed up to 500 mbps.

“As I’ve said before, we will connect Tawi-Tawi to Batanes, 7,100 islands, via communication backbone through fiber optics. That will take years to develop,” Mr. Domagoso said. — Jaspearl Emerald G. Tan