Guyana to shortly licence Starlink satellite Internet service

Last Updated on Tuesday, 7 January 2025, 9:22 by Writer

Guyana will later this year grant a licence to the Elon Musk-owned Starlink satellite Internet service to give locals another option, Prime Minister Mark Phillips announced Monday.

He confirmed that Starlink has filed an application which was being considered by the government with the intention of granting a licence to the global provider. “In terms of a timeframe, I would say as early as possible because those discussions are ongoing,” he told a news conference when asked by Demerara Waves Online News.

Mr Phillips said the National Data Management Authority (NDMA) has been issued a “limited licence” by Starlink to provide Internet service to several far-flung areas of Guyana.

Last year, President Irfaan Ali and Mr Musk held a video conference, and since then the Prime Minister said he has been in contact with senior executives of Starlink. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo had two months ago said that Starlink would be required to pay corporation tax to the Guyana Revenue Authority.

Currently, 215 of the targeted 253 communities have been connected to the Internet via Starlink to facilitate, among other things, telemedicine and distance education, Mr Phillips said.

Sister Caribbean Community (CARICOM) nations, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Haiti, Jamaica and The Bahamas have licensed Starlink to provide Internet service there, according to that company’s availability map.