Astranis Announces Contract To Bring Internet To 2 Million People In Philippines Next Year

Astranis set to build, deploy, and operate small geostationary broadband satellite with the capacity to connect up to 2 million people across 5,000 remote and rural communities in the Philippines in new long term contract with Orbits Corp, the satellite services arm of Philippine internet service provider HTechCorp.

Currently, only 11,000 out of the Philippines' 42,000 local communities have access to fiber internet, leaving a significant portion of the population in underserved areas. The government has identified the unconnected communities as a priority for internet connectivity.

While specific details regarding commitments and financial aspects were not disclosed, the satellite to be deployed by Astranis and Orbits Corp is expected to be the first dedicated to providing internet services to the Philippines. Last year, the Philippines granted permission to SpaceX's Starlink broadband network to bridge the digital divide in the country using low Earth orbit satellites.

Astranis specializes in operating satellites on behalf of customers who lease the capacity over an eight-year lifespan. Their satellites, about the size of a dishwasher and weighing around 400 kilograms, are smaller compared to the typical geostationary spacecraft that weigh thousands of kilograms and provide regional coverage.

The satellite for the Philippines is part of a batch of five satellites scheduled to launch together in 2024, using a dedicated rocket that Astranis has yet to disclose. In addition to the Philippine satellite, two satellites for Mexican telco Apco Networks will also be part of this mission (referred to as Block 3), while the customers for the remaining two satellites have not been disclosed.

Astranis has further plans for satellite deployments, with four satellites set to be deployed later this year on a dedicated SpaceX Falcon 9 mission as part of Block 2. Among these, Astranis has revealed customers for three satellites, including two for U.S.-based mobile satellite connectivity specialist Anuvu and one for Peruvian cellular backhaul provider Andesat.

This recent deal with Orbits Corp in the Philippines marks Astranis' first agreement following the successful launch of its inaugural satellite, Arcturus, on April 30. Arcturus, sold to Alaska-based telco Pacific Dataport Inc., and is performing above specifications, with speeds of approximately 9 gigabits per second (Gbps) in early tests.