Philippines buys 2 broadband satellites
November 17, 2023
By Chris Forrester
The Filipino government is buying two satellites and says that the move will help create more than 10,000 jobs. The orders come via Astranis Space Technologies which specialise in building small satellites for broadband use.
San Francisco-based Astranis hosted a meeting this week with Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the President of the Philippines and where the contract was announced.
“At the event, we announced together that Astranis will dramatically accelerate our partnership with Orbits Corp and bring not one, but two internet satellites to the Philippines: one on Astranis’s next launch, set for Q1 of 2024, and the second on the previously-announced launch to follow later in 2024,” stated Astranis.
The President announced that he is naming the new satellite ‘AGILA’, the name of the Filipino national bird, the “Great Philippine Eagle.”
“Expanding our Philippines programme to include an additional Astranis MicroGEO satellite means that Orbits Corp will be able to double the number of people that it connects in the most remote islands of the Philippines. Millions of people, many of whom live on less than $5,000 per year, will be able to connect to the internet as a direct result. Orbits Corp estimates that this two-satellite programme will bring up to 10,000 direct and indirect jobs to the Philippines, accelerating economic growth and jumpstarting economic development in many of the smallest and most remote communities in the fast-growing nation,” said a press statement.
The Filipino President has made connectivity a major focus, and has launched multiple successful programs focused on bringing free Wi-Fi and better internet infrastructure to every Filipino community, added Astranis.