Starlink website offers a price of 1.7 million VND in Vietnam

Previously, SpaceX’s Starlink service for individual users in Vietnam was expected to cost 85 USD (2.2 million VND) per month, in addition to the purchase of a terminal of about 350 USD (9.2 million VND).

However, according to new information on the company’s website, the actual package is lower than 500,000 VND. Users can enjoy unlimited data, with download speeds of 135-305 Mbps and upload speeds of 20-40 Mbps.

When registering for a subscription, users have to spend 10.27 million VND for a standard hardware set, including satellite dish, power source and wifi transmitter, along with nearly 600,000 VND in “shipping and handling” fees. The initial investment amount is one million VND higher than the previously estimated equipment price. Users do not have to pay this if the device set is available.

Although the subscription level is “softer”, the price of satellite Internet services is still generally higher than traditional fiber optic Internet, usually at a few hundred thousand dong per month.

Domestic users are currently unable to use the service. “We are unable to provide an estimated time,” the company’s announcement said, adding that the team was “working as quickly as possible.” If you want to register early, users must deposit 1.8 million VND to “reserve a place on the waiting list”.

Wait for the gateway system to be completed

According to experts, the progress of Starlink deployment depends on the gateway system – the required infrastructure for satellite Internet to operate in Vietnam. In the first phase, the service is expected to have four stations and up to 600,000 terminals.

Starlink’s gateway stations in Vietnam are located in Lien Chieu 2 ward (Da Nang), Binh Nguyen commune (Phu Tho), Tang Nhon Phu ward and Tan Thuan ward (HCMC).

According to the Department of Telecommunications, in the license issued in February, Starlink committed to completing the gateway system within a year. The setup is considered not too complicated, mainly importing equipment from abroad, then constructing and installing at ground station locations. If implemented on schedule, the work will be completed before February 2027.

Share with VnExpressa network operator, said that Starlink satellite Internet can currently only operate in areas more than 12 nautical miles from the coast and islands, outside Vietnam’s territorial waters.

Meanwhile, using Starlink without a license will be handled. In April, a ship owner in Cat Ba was fined 70 million VND for using Starlink equipment with a subscription package registered abroad to provide Internet to tourists.

Starlink is a satellite Internet service developed by SpaceX, owned by billionaire Elon Musk. The system connects users’ devices to low orbit (LEO) satellites, then transmits data through ground stations to access the global Internet.

According to Deputy Director of the Department of Telecommunications Nguyen Anh Cuong, Starlink is “a piece of the puzzle that completes Vietnam’s high-quality digital infrastructure ecosystem”. Services providing broadband Internet at sea, in the air and in especially difficult areas with few people living, where fixed and mobile networks are difficult to access. “Starlink is an effective backup channel when the ground network system has problems in natural disasters or disasters,” he commented.

Survey of VnExpress Earlier this year, it was shown that 74% of the 8,500 participants did not plan to use Starlink because terrestrial telecommunications services had already met the demand. Meanwhile, 15% said they have a need, while 11% are considering it.

According to the report of the Ministry of Science and Technology on the implementation of Resolution 57, commercialization of satellite Internet services is one of the key tasks of the last six months of the year. The Ministry will promote commercial operation of low-orbit satellite Internet, in parallel with nationwide 5G coverage and put new undersea fiber optic cables into operation.