Putrajaya seeks to cut reliance on Starlink's satellite service
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said that telecommunications companies currently use Starlink to provide backhaul internet, in addition to offering direct internet access.
"We are assessing and reviewing our approach to ensure we are not limited to using satellite internet services like Starlink.
"What we need to prepare for is to not be overly dependent on one provider.
"Commercially speaking, there's only one low earth orbit satellite internet provider. But we are assessing other applications from other countries that we can utilise," he said.
Telecommunication companies also use Starlink's devices on towers which lack fibre optic or microwave technology, he said.
Starlink suffered a global outage last Thursday that disrupted customers around the globe, reported German Press Agency (dpa) on July 25.
Fahmi was responding to a supplementary question by Shaharizukirnain Abd Kadir (PN-Setiu) in Dewan Rakyat today.
The minister also said he had called for an overhaul of the procedures involved in implementing the second 5G network.
"We don't have to put those towers in areas where the population does not require such infrastructure," he said.
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