SpaceX’s Starlink satellite Internet services set to pilot in Vietnam in Q4

15/07/2025 15:07

Satellite Internet services offered by U.S.-based Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) are expected to launch in Vietnam in the fourth quarter of this year following the government’s approval of a five-year pilot program, the Ministry of Science and Technology said.

Deputy Minister Pham Duc Long stated at a conference on Monday that the ministry will authorize a controlled pilot of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite telecommunications services once SpaceX has finalized its investment procedures and established a legal entity in Vietnam.

He added that Starlink satellite Internet services are expected to roll out nationwide in the fourth quarter of 2025.

Earlier in March, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung signed a decision approving SpaceX’s plan to provide these services in Vietnam without restrictions on foreign ownership.

The five-year trial will begin once the operating license is granted and must conclude by January 1, 2031.

It is capped at 600,000 subscribers, including both direct users and those served via local telecom resellers.

SpaceX is required to establish a ground gateway station within Vietnam to ensure that all data traffic from Vietnamese users passes through this domestic gateway and integrates seamlessly into the national telecommunications network.

Additionally, all user data generated locally must be stored within Vietnam in compliance with the country’s data sovereignty laws.

SpaceX is currently working with the Ministry of Finance to finalize the procedures for setting up a 100-percent foreign-owned enterprise in Vietnam.

Tim Hughes, SpaceX’s senior vice-president for global business and government affairs, recently praised Vietnam’s potential for the company’s satellite Internet expansion.

He also stated that SpaceX intends to invest approximately US$1.5 billion in Vietnam in the near future.

Starlink underwent its first test in Vietnam at the Vietnam International Innovation Expo in October 2023, held in the Hoa Lac area of Hanoi, where it reached trial speeds of about 200 Mbps.

According to SpaceX, the service provides high-performance streaming, videoconferencing, online gaming, and support for remote work.

Since launching in the United States in October 2020, Starlink has expanded to serve nearly three million customers across more than 100 countries.

Among the roughly 10,000 active objects in low Earth orbit, more than 7,750 belong to Starlink, CNET cited data collected by Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist who tracks satellite launches.  

Vinh Tho / Tuoi Tre News

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