Why Vietnam is bringing satellite internet to connectivity blackspots

Across the country, 273 remote villages and hamlets currently lack reliable mobile reception or remain entirely cut off from cellular networks, including 82 communities that are not linked with the national electric grid.

Another 44 locations, mostly rural schools, health clinics, and isolated spots surrounded by rugged terrain, struggle with a weak or intermittent reception.

In a report September, the National Steering Committee on Science, Technology, Innovation, and Digital Transformation directed relevant agencies to ensure network coverage for these priority locations by Oct. 30.

Difficult terrain, scattered populations, and a lack of electrical grids make these sites hard to reach and economically unviable for conventional ground-based infrastructure, Le Xuan Thang, an infrastructure development official at the Authority of Telecommunications, explained.

"A single solution cannot resolve every dead zone. That is why satellite Internet serves as a vital supplementary measure."

Le Xuan Thang, infrastructure development official at the Authority of Telecommunications. Photo by Trong Dat

In Son La, a northern mountainous province where more than 80% of the land has rugged terrain and travel remains arduous, telecom carriers have pushed hard to expand cellular networks, but several pockets "still need more time," Pham Quoc Chinh, deputy director of the provincial Department of Science and Technology, said.

"The province currently faces coverage hurdles across 53 locations, including 36 villages and hamlets in exceptionally disadvantaged areas."

Because building terrestrial networks in these pockets demands significant time and capital while local demand for connectivity is urgent, Son La received 36 Starlink satellite terminals along with six months of free service.

Chinh emphasized that satellite access has "profound significance" for the province, giving isolated communities an opportunity to "gain early access to online services".

The satellite terminals are designated strictly for public use rather than private households, installed at communal hubs where local authorities can monitor network performance, user traffic, and actual beneficiary numbers. Equipment safety has also been factored into the plan: if a village cultural hall lacks adequate security, authorities will reassign installation to a monitored facility with dedicated oversight.

A Starlink Standard 4X satellite terminal handed over by SpaceX to Vietnam to help cover cellular dead zones, September 2026. Photo by Trong Dat

Eliminating coverage blind spots requires ongoing updates because infrastructure expansion, population shifts, and changing connectivity demands could create new dead zones over time, Thang said.

For areas out of reach in the short term, satellite connectivity serves as an immediate stopgap.

Starlink is a satellite broadband constellation developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX, which connects user terminals to low Earth orbit satellites that route data through ground stations to access the global web.

The first foreign company to be granted regulatory clearance to pilot satellite Internet in Vietnam, it launched commercial operations in August.

The equipment donation fulfills a commitment made by SpaceX and Starlink Services Vietnam during their licensing bid to supply 1,000 Starlink kits and six months of free data service to support schools, clinics, rural communities, and underserved groups.