Experience Starlink Internet in Vietnam

Starlink satellite internet from SpaceX, a company founded by Elon Musk, offers download speeds of 200 Mbps, but cannot be officially used in Vietnam yet.

In September, during a meeting with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, a SpaceX representative said they wanted to expand investment and provide Starlink services in Vietnam, helping to deploy broadband Internet services in "troughs" in the country's signal.

Some new equipment sets have also been brought for limited trials by visitors at the Vietnam International Innovation Exhibition 2023, taking place from October 28 to November 2 in Hoa Lac, (Hanoi). A standard Starlink set includes an antenna that receives and transmits signals with a small satellite, along with a router that transmits Internet signals via wifi connection and connecting wires. In addition, the company also has Starlink sets for businesses or users with high demands, with larger sizes.

The router has a minimalist design, but is made with many sharp angles, with the main color being white. The bottom edge includes a power port and a connection to the antenna, with an included cable about 15 meters long.

This router uses a Wi-Fi 5 chip, is IP54 dust and water resistant, and supports Mesh if needed, but requires additional equipment.

This antenna is required to be placed outdoors, but does not need a separate power source, just plugs into the router. This allows Starlink devices to be used even in places with limited power sources.

The antenna is lightweight, IP54 dust and water resistant, and can automatically rotate to capture the best signal from the satellite. According to the manufacturer, the device can take a few minutes to search for satellites.

Users will set up the entire system through the Starlink application on their smartphone. Here, the application will guide users to find the location of Starlink satellites to adjust the appropriate antenna orientation as well as configure the network.

Once set up, the router will broadcast a wifi signal for users to connect and use. In case you want to use a network cable for Ethernet connection, users will need to purchase an additional adapter.

The weather in Hanoi is currently cloudy, which is believed to affect the Internet signal between the satellite and the antenna. The test speed at the exhibition reached about 150-190 Mbps download, higher than the average speed Speedtest statistics on the Internet network in Vietnam. However, some domestic network operators have provided fixed broadband Internet with a speed of 1 Gbps.

According to experts, these satellite Internet solutions are inherently expensive, but their speed and stability cannot be compared to cable Internet solutions in Vietnam. In addition, Vietnam has not yet licensed this service.

However, if deployed, this will be a suitable solution for use in places where fiber optic Internet is difficult to access, such as remote areas, islands, or on offshore fishing vessels. Starlink satellite Internet service has entered Southeast Asia since the beginning of the year in the Philippines, Malaysia and is expected to be available in some other countries in 2024. In the Philippines, Starlink users in this country must buy hardware equipment to receive and transmit signals for 29,320 Pesos (12.6 million VND) and a monthly subscription fee of 2,700 Pesos (1.16 million VND).

Vnexpress.net