Starlink sets Vietnam subscription at $65 a month

For this price unlimited data will be available at download speeds of 135-305 Mbps and upload speeds of 20-40 Mbps.

But subscribers also need to pay VND10.27 million upfront for a hardware kit including a satellite dish and another VND600,000 for shipping and handling. This is VND1 million higher than earlier estimates.

Starlink satellite dish and Wi-Fi router on display at the Vietnam Innovation Day in Hoa Lac, October 2023. Photo by Trong Dat

Despite the more affordable subscription, satellite internet prices remain much costlier than traditional fiber-optic internet, which typically costs a few hundred thousand dong a month.

It is not known when the service will become available, with SpaceX saying "We are unable to provide an estimated time" but that its team is "working as fast as possible."

Those wishing to sign up early must place a deposit of VND1.8 million to get into the waiting list.

According to experts, the rollout timeline depends on the installation of ground gateway stations. In the initial phase, Starlink is expected to have four stations and a maximum of 600,000 user terminals, as the outdoor antennas and transceivers connecting to the satellites are called, in Vietnam.

The gateway stations will be located in Da Nang, northern Phu Tho province, and Ho Chi Minh City.

According to the Department of Telecommunications, its license terms require Starlink to complete the installation within one year, which period ends in February 2027.

Starlink connects users' devices to low Earth orbit satellites, then transmit data through ground stations to access the global internet.

According to deputy director of telecommunications, Nguyen Anh Cuong, Starlink is "a piece that completes Vietnam's high-quality digital infrastructure ecosystem."

It could provide broadband internet at sea, in the air, and in particularly remote or sparsely populated areas where fixed and mobile networks are difficult to reach, he said.

"Starlink is an effective backup channel when the terrestrial network experiences disruptions during natural disasters or emergencies."

A VnExpress survey earlier this year found that 74% of participants had no intention of subscribing to Starlink since existing terrestrial telecommunications services met their needs.

Some 15% said they would subscribe, and 11% were considering it.

According to a report by the Ministry of Science and Technology on the implementation of Resolution 57, commercializing satellite internet services is one of the key priorities for the second half of this year.

The ministry will push for the commercial operation of low Earth orbit satellite internet alongside nationwide 5G coverage and the launch of new undersea fiber-optic cable routes.