Low-Earth Satellite Piloted in Vietnam

The Frequency Department (Ministry of Science and Technology) said it has reserved frequencies for low-altitude satellite services. "The Ku and Ka bands are commonly used in the world for this service. Vietnam will also use this band for low-altitude satellite services," said a representative of the Frequency Department.

Currently, Ku band (12 – 18 GHz) and Ka band (26 – 40 GHz) are commonly used in broadband Internet satellites such as SpaceX’s Starlink, OneWeb, Telesat. Of which, Ka band allows higher data transmission speed than Ku.

Previously, on February 19, the National Assembly voted to pass a Resolution on piloting a number of special policies and mechanisms to create breakthroughs in the development of science, technology, innovation and digital transformation. One of the important contents of this resolution is to allow a controlled pilot implementation of telecommunications services using low-orbit satellite technology.

Currently, there are about 20 large companies and corporations in the world developing low-orbit (LEO) satellite constellations to provide global Internet services. Among them, some prominent providers are: SpaceX with Starlink service has launched more than 6,700 LEO satellites and is expected to deploy a total of about 42,000 satellites; OneWeb has launched more than 500 LEO satellites. In addition, low-orbit satellite services also have other names such as Amazon, Telesat, SES, Viasat, LeoSat, Globalstar, Inmarsat, Thuraya, Intelsat, etc.

Starlink satellite.png
Starlink service, with its low-altitude satellite Internet model, will certainly have an impact on the Vietnamese telecommunications market, especially traditional carriers such as Viettel, VNPT, MobiFone, and FPT Telecom.

In 2023, during a working session with Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Phan Tam, a SpaceX representative said the company wanted to cooperate to provide low-altitude satellite services in Vietnam.

“SpaceX owns Starlink - a high-speed satellite Internet service that covers the globe. Satellite Internet technology is important, especially in remote areas, islands, where conventional fiber optic cables cannot reach. There are many high-speed Internet-based services that satellites can provide,” said a SpaceX representative.

Recently, SpaceX Asia-Pacific representative Laurent Tran Dien shared that SpaceX is using thousands of satellites to provide high-speed Internet coverage in many places around the world.

“Asia-Pacific is a region that faces many natural disasters such as volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. In emergency situations, Internet connection will play an important role in maintaining communication,” said Mr. Laurent Tran Dien.

The special feature of the Starlink satellite Internet service provided by SpaceX is the ability to install and deploy in a short time. This service can provide Internet everywhere with low latency and high speed.

“Starlink's satellite Internet service can work well in many terrain conditions, and can even be installed on airplanes, fishing boats, cars... In remote areas, connecting to the Internet via satellite will help people receive education, health care, and access better medical services,” said a SpaceX representative.

According to experts' analysis, the deployment of low-altitude satellites can bring many benefits to Vietnam such as providing telecommunications and Internet services in remote areas where telecommunications infrastructure is underdeveloped.

The deployment of satellite broadband Internet will help businesses, governments, schools and individuals living anywhere in the world have access to high-speed Internet.

Carriers will have to deploy 5G quickly

Experts say that the Starlink service, with its low-altitude satellite Internet model, will certainly have an impact on the Vietnamese telecommunications market, especially traditional carriers such as Viettel, VNPT, MobiFone, and FPT Telecom.

In the immediate future, Starlink may provide high-speed Internet in remote areas and islands where Vietnamese network operators have difficulty deploying fiber optic and 4G, 5G infrastructure. In these areas, customers can choose Starlink instead of using traditional solutions such as fiber optic or 4G and 5G mobile services with weak coverage.

However, Starlink also has certain difficulties in reaching customers such as the service price is quite high at about 99 USD/month (about 2.4 million VND/month), not to mention the cost of equipment. Meanwhile, fiber optic Internet packages of Vietnamese network operators are quite cheap, only about 200,000 - 500,000 VND/month. In addition, Starlink cannot completely replace fiber optic cable or mobile network because it still has higher latency than fiber optic cable and depends on weather conditions.

Experts say that Starlink will create new competitive dynamics for network operators to quickly complete their telecommunications infrastructure, bring fiber optic cables to households and boost 5G coverage.

From another perspective, in addition to competing with Starlink, Vietnamese carriers can also cooperate with Elon Musk's SpaceX to expand coverage or provide combined service packages such as Starlink service and the carrier's 4G, 5G services.

Starlink currently does not have a support team in Vietnam, but Vietnamese carriers have this advantage. Experts say that cooperation between Starlink and Vietnamese carriers to take advantage of both sides is the most optimal model for mutual benefit.