CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – Orbits Satellite Corporation President and CEO Augusto Baculio Jr. announced today the successful launch of the first-ever internet satellite dedicated to the Philippines, here at Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard SpaceX Falcon 9.
Baculio said the internet satellite launch was the result of the innovative partnership between Astranis and Orbits Satellite Corporation, and how the internet satellite will connect millions of people across the Philippine archipelago to reliable, affordable internet.
Astranis, the world’s leading operator of dedicated communication satellites had partnered with Orbits Satellite Corporation to bring the Philippines the first-ever dedicated internet satellite, providing sufficient bandwidth to connect up to two million people across 5,000 remote and rural communities in the Philippines.
“We are incredibly excited to provide our country with dedicated internet satellite,” said Baculio “We expect this to be a critical piece of digital infrastructure that will help millions of our people improve their lives through dedicated internet satellite communication facilities.
Orbits Satellite Corporation is a satellite services provider and sister company of a local Philippine ISP, HTechCorp, which has over 20 years of experience in providing internet services to the 7,000 plus islands of the Philippines. Orbits mission is to connect the unconnected regions, providing them with the tools necessary to thrive in this age of digital connectivity, he said.
“Most of the internet penetration in the Philippines is confined to the metropolitan areas,” said Baculio. “Outside of that, going to the rural barangays, over mountains, across islands — that’s when you have intermittent access to connectivity, or none at all. Getting our people connected is critically important, and that’s why we are doubly excited with Astranis on this important project to bring a dedicated satellite to the Philippines.”
The Astranis satellite will be the first internet satellite ever dedicated to the Philippines, a nation that is uniquely challenging to cover with traditional connectivity solutions like fiber, microwave, and large satellite systems. With over 20 typhoons in the Philippines each year, and other natural disasters, this challenges the Filipino people and this internet satellite proves the importance of resilient connectivity in digital infrastructure, he added.
