J. Albert A. Gamboa l 01 March 2024 l Business, The Manila Times
Two industry leaders in the field of information and communications technology (ICT) have teamed up to bolster the Starlink satellite internet service of Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) in the Philippines.
In a corporate disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) last February 26, PSE-listed DFNN Inc. announced that it has forged a partnership with Data Lake Inc. to boost SpaceX’s Starlink services throughout the archipelago. Signing the teaming agreement with DFNN Executive Chairman Ramon Garcia 2nd were Data Lake founder Henry Sy 2nd and Chairman Anthony Almeda.
Data Lake is an emerging tech company that aims to bridge the digital divide as an authorized reseller and integrator of Starlink’s low-earth orbit satellite broadband service in the Southeast Asian region. DFNN is an ICT solutions provider and systems integrator that enables its partners to compete in an increasingly tech-dependent market.
It may be recalled that in the early 2020s, Garcia was instrumental in linking SpaceX executives with Philippine government officials to push the domestic rollout of Starlink. As a member of the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands, he also led the private sector’s advocacy to push for amendments to the 85-year-old Public Service Act that would exclude telecommunications companies from the constitutional provision limiting public utilities to 40 percent foreign ownership.
In 2023, DFNN donated 20 portable Starlink kits to the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) as its support for the emergency capability of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), a multi-sectoral working group administered by the OCD under the Department of National Defense (DND).
OCD serves as the NDRRMC’s secretariat and implementing arm. Headed by DND Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, it provides communications support to disaster-stricken local government units (LGUs) as part of its emergency management function.
Nepomuceno said the donation will further strengthen the OCD’s capability as well as those of the LGUs by using these redundant communications systems.
Garcia disclosed that by providing Starlink connectivity to critical government functions — particularly in disaster risk reduction — DFNN is taking a step toward the future where communication is never compromised, even in the face of nature’s most challenging moments.
He revealed earlier that the national government is open to subsidizing the purchase of Starlink kits, especially in the country’s far-flung areas.
The Philippines is the first nation in Southeast Asia to gain access to SpaceX’s satellite broadband technology that beams internet signals directly from inner space. According to Garcia, “while Elon Musk is a billionaire, Starlink is still a startup.”
The National Telecommunications Commission, an attached agency of the Department of Information and Communications Technology, approved the registration of Starlink Internet Services Philippines Inc. as a value-added service provider in 2022.
DFNN’s link-up with Data Lake is seen to leverage its historic pioneering tech initiatives with the entrepreneurial experience and business track record of Data Lake’s founders. Both parties agreed to utilize their complementary technologies, marketing expertise, and sales channels. This will allow disadvantaged customers in geographically isolated areas to be better served, while at the same time aligning with the Philippine government’s drive for inclusive digitalization.
With this collaboration between Data Lake and DFNN, connectivity between our remote islands and hard-to-reach regions is projected to be fast-tracked through the use of Starlink’s satellite technology, which will expand the country’s digital infrastructure and integrate it into the global digital economy.
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The author is the chief finance officer of Asian Center for Legal Excellence and vice chairman of the FINEX Ethics Committee.