A Starlink low-Earth-orbit satellite internet terminal installed outdoors.— AFP/VNA Photo

HÀ NỘI —Việt Nam has authorised satellite internet provider Starlink to operate after regulators granted licences for low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite telecommunications services, enabling the company to begin commercial deployment.

The Authority of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Science and Technology issued a licence allowing Starlink Services Vietnam Co., Ltd. to provide satellite-based telecom services with network infrastructure, while the Radio Frequency Department separately approved the use of spectrum and radio equipment.

Under the initial rollout plan, the company may deploy four gateway stations and up to 600,000 user terminals nationwide.

Authorities said the licensing framework is intended to safeguard national spectrum resources while allowing controlled testing of new technology, thereby establishing a legal foundation for broader satellite internet coverage.

The move follows Prime Ministerial Decision No. 659/QĐ-TTg dated March 26, 2025, which permits a five-year pilot of LEO satellite telecom services without foreign ownership limits, subject to national defence and security requirements and set to conclude before January 1, 2031.

Satellite internet services such as Starlink are expected to complement existing fixed and mobile networks, particularly in remote, border and island areas, as well as during natural disasters when terrestrial infrastructure may be disrupted.

Starlink Services Vietnam is headquartered in Cửa Nam Ward, Hà Nội, with charter capital of VNĐ30 billion (approximately US$1.1 million). The company is wholly owned by Starlink Holdings Netherlands B.V. Its chairwoman and legal representative is Lauren Ashley Dreyer, and its general director is Vietnamese national Đỗ Bá Thích.

Starlink, developed by SpaceX, operates around 6,750 satellites globally and serves approximately five million users across more than 125 countries and territories.

Once commercially deployed, Việt Nam will become the fifth Southeast Asian market to offer the service, following the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Timor-Leste. — BIZHUB/VNS