Marius Skuodis: Starlink satellite Internet is already in Lithuania – we are glad to have succeeded ahead of time
The aerospace company Space X has announced that it starts offering Starlink broadband satellite Internet services in Lithuania – sooner than previously announced that these services will reach Lithuanian consumers at the beginning of 2022.
“I am pleased with the quick and successful result of cooperation with this US company. The essential works for the start of the provision of these services in Lithuania were managed smoothly. We are happy that they were completed so quickly. The company informed us that speeds of 100–150 Mb/s can be expected in the coming months, but in the near future, both the speed of the Internet and the quality of services will improve. Thus, the ‘space’ Internet is already here,” said Marius Skuodis, the Minister of Transport and Communications, sharing the results of the cooperation.
In February, at the initiative of the Minister of Transport and Communications, the first remote meeting was held with the representatives of Space X, during which cooperation with the company was established. Shortly afterwards, Space X set up its own subsidiary in the country – Starlink Lithuania. The US company was introduced to the steps and actions that needed to be taken to make the process of coming to Lithuania fast and smooth. A meeting with the representatives of the company was also held during the visit of the Minister to Washington (USA); the process of establishment in Lithuania and the start of the provision of services were discussed.
According to the Minister of Transport and Communications, the launch of Starlink in Lithuania means wider use of Internet services and gives consumers a choice.
“We aim to create opportunities for residents and businesses in Lithuania to use innovative, state-of-the-art solutions, to have the widest possible range of services and the widest possible options. The satellite broadband provided by Starlink is also particularly valuable in regions with a lack of terrestrial infrastructure and no mobile or fibre-optic connection,” added the Minister of Transport and Communications.
According to Skuodis, this important step will help Lithuania achieve the goal set for 2025 to provide all Lithuanian citizens with access to the Internet of at least 100 Mbps, and Lithuania could become a bridge for the development of satellite Internet in the Baltic markets.
Space X, a company of Canadian and US businessman Elon Musk, is currently a leader in the private space sector in terms of the number of satellites launched and is one of the world’s largest innovators.