Starlink has announced on its official website that its service is now officially available in Vietnam, allowing customers to register online.

During registration, customers are shown an estimated total upfront cost of approximately $417, including tax. The final amount may change after customers provide their address to Starlink.

Users must enter their location so the system can check whether the service is currently available in their area.

Previously, a source told VietNamNet that Starlink satellite internet in Vietnam was expected to cost around $85 per month, with initial equipment expenses of approximately $350.

The newly announced monthly prices of around $44 for 100Mbps service and $66 for speeds exceeding 400Mbps therefore represent a significant adjustment from earlier expectations.

Nguyen Anh Cuong, Deputy Director General of the Authority of Telecommunications, said Starlink Services Vietnam Co., Ltd. had been granted two licenses to provide telecommunications services using network infrastructure, enabling it to pilot low-Earth orbit satellite telecommunications services in Vietnam.

The pilot is capped at 600,000 subscribers, equivalent to only around 2.5% of Vietnam’s existing fixed broadband subscriber base.

As a result, low-Earth orbit satellite services are considered unlikely to compete directly on a large scale with the fixed and mobile broadband services currently provided by Vietnamese telecommunications companies.

Cuong added that after receiving its telecommunications licenses in Vietnam, Starlink is required to fully comply with the country’s regulations on pricing and competition, just like other telecommunications companies operating in the market.

Vietnam’s pricing regulations uphold the principles of openness and transparency while respecting the rights of businesses and individuals to set prices and compete on pricing in accordance with the law.

If a company adjusts its prices, particularly through reductions that show signs of unfair competition, regulators will strengthen oversight and apply relevant pricing and competition laws where necessary.

The aim is to ensure companies operate under the same legal framework, maintain a level competitive environment and promote the healthy development of the market.

Starlink is a satellite internet system developed by SpaceX that operates through a constellation of thousands of satellites in low-Earth orbit, or LEO.

Unlike conventional internet services that rely on fiber-optic cables or terrestrial network infrastructure, Starlink transmits signals directly from satellites to users’ receiving equipment.

To use the service, customers need to purchase a terminal kit consisting of a satellite dish, Wi-Fi router and power supply.

Officials from the Authority of Telecommunications previously said the broad coverage offered by satellite internet services such as Starlink could complement the terrestrial fixed and mobile telecommunications networks operated by domestic carriers.

The technology could be particularly useful in remote and mountainous areas, border regions and islands, as well as during natural disasters and emergencies when terrestrial telecommunications infrastructure is disrupted.

Commenting earlier on SpaceX being allowed to pilot low-Earth orbit satellite internet services in Vietnam, Vu The Binh, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of the Vietnam Internet Association (VIA), described the move as a positive development for the country’s internet landscape.

“This is a good sign for the internet in Vietnam. We now have another broadband option for internet connectivity, particularly in areas where fiber-optic networks are not yet available, including remote regions and islands,” Binh said.

Thai Khang