SpaceX's Starlink service has completed all administrative procedures to land in Korea. SpaceX is a space corporation led by Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla.
On the 18th, according to the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Radio Research Agency, the suitability assessment of the 'low-orbit satellite communication earth station radio equipment' (model name UTA-252) requested by SpaceX was completed on the 11th. Depending on SpaceX's business judgment, low-orbit satellite communication products could be launched in Korea at any time.
Devices such as antennas must receive certification from the National Radio Research Agency's suitability assessment to be supplied domestically. Previously, SpaceX's headquarters in the U.S. had applied directly for the suitability assessment of the user antennas needed for the service.
The suitability assessment conducted under the Radio Waves Act is a follow-up action regarding the 'cross-border supply agreement for low-orbit satellite communication services' approved by the Ministry of Science and ICT in May. The Telecommunications Business Act prohibits foreign corporations like SpaceX from providing communication services directly in Korea. In response, SpaceX established a Korean corporation, 'Starlink Korea,' and registered as a telecommunications business operator. Subsequently, Starlink Korea signed an agreement on cross-border supply with SpaceX and received the Minister's approval from the Ministry of Science and ICT.
A spokesperson from the Ministry of Science and ICT noted, "With the completion of the suitability assessment for the equipment necessary for the service following the approval of the cross-border supply agreement, all administrative procedures required for the launch of Starlink Korea's domestic low-orbit satellite communication business have been completed," adding, "All conditions necessary for service provision have been met, so there is no point for the government to intervene in the business launch." They further stated, "The actual domestic business launch will occur based on the operator's judgment."
In the telecommunications industry, there were forecasts that Starlink's service in Korea would begin in July this year, following the approval of the cross-border supply agreement in May. Given that SpaceX is already providing low-orbit satellite communication in 120 countries, it was analyzed that the suitability assessment for the devices would not take much time. However, with the suitability assessment of the radio equipment completed on the 11th, the actual service launch is expected to take place around September.
Starlink Korea is expected to focus more on business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-government (B2G) projects rather than the general consumer (B2C) market in its initial stages. The plan is to capitalize on the strengths of non-terrestrial networks (NTN) that can provide services without geographical restrictions, initially expanding into markets such as maritime, aviation, plants, public services, and disaster safety. SK Telink, the official reseller of Starlink Korea, stated, "We plan to gradually expand our product lineups tailored to the specific demands of various industries, including maritime and aviation-specific packages, public institution-specific plans, and combinations of fixed and mobile devices."
Starlink currently provides services based on about 7,000 satellites. After initiating the first launch in May 2019, Starlink has increased its satellites at an average rate of three per day until last year, claiming it will soon achieve speeds of 2 Gbps.
Eutelsat OneWeb, which also obtained approval for the 'cross-border supply agreement for low-orbit satellite communication services' along with Starlink Korea, is also hastening its service launch in Korea. OneWeb plans to supply services domestically through Hanwha Systems and KT SAT. The suitability assessment for OneWeb equipment, conducted by Intellian Technologies, was completed in July. The approved OneWeb devices include two types: Enterprise (OW11Fx) and Compact (OW10Hx). KT SAT is preparing for the stable provision of OneWeb services in Korea by linking the network hubs (PoP) and ground networks.