Recently, El Salvador became the first country in Central America where the services of Starlink got officially launched for the first time. Starlink is the satellite broadband service offered by one chain of Space X, a space exploration company.

Starlink is mainly sought by those places where internet receptivity is generally due to multiple reasons. Being one of the smallest countries in the world, El Salvador has several problems of its own. One of those issues is internet connectivity throughout the country.

Therefore, El Salvador is renewing their efforts to implement Starlink services in most places nationwide. Despite multiple challenges, El Salvador is said to be working towards those issues and finding solutions as necessary. 

The Need for Internet Connectivity in El Salvador

A country like El Salvador which still falls under developing countries needs to organize its internet connectivity with other places. Thus, internet connectivity is paramount, which can be understood elaborately by the points below.

Putting money into digital infrastructure

Firstly, El Salvador needs to improve its existing digital infrastructure, which needs to be more suitable for international connectivity. It must be expanded far and wide where lots of development work is required. For instance, a cloud computing server, significant data analytics software, and blockchain services are a few of those requirements. El Salvador’s internet connectivity will be significantly boosted if enough money is invested in those digital artifacts. 

Enhancing digital literacy

The Internet connectivity across El Salvador would help those individuals who need to gain more knowledge in them. Every individual needs to be literate while understanding all the details behind digital skill innovation. These are a few problems people in El Salvador face because of insufficient internet services. Therefore, Starlink could sort those issues out by supplying the Internet everywhere in the country. Without adequate internet coverage, it would be impossible for El Salvador to break free of the shackles consisting of literacy. 

Starlink’s Role in Expanding Internet Access 

The creation of Starlink has brought a revolution across internet access in most developing countries. Its service is mainly used for delivering the Internet to those remote places where adequate broadband services are absent. Here are a few points that can be linked with Starlink’s role in expanding internet access.

Reliable 

The reliability of your Internet is one of the most significant factors that would significantly boost the expansion of Internet access in your area. Suppose you find that the Internet needs to respond appropriately even after spending a lot of money on it. In that case, the whole innovation project would have gone to waste. However, Starlink is said to sort those issues out as the broadband service is directly linked to satellites. Therefore, the chances of it needing to be more reliable regarding speed, time, and affordability could be higher. 

Low latency

Due to the low latency of Starlink services, even the most secluded places in El Salvador could be reached easily. It can bring a massive transformation to internet access that has yet to be tapped. Coming on the back of a massive network of low earth orbit satellites, Starlink can provide effective communication lines with no fuss in between. 

Launch of Starlink in El Salvador

The present internet infrastructure of El Salvador consists of outdated technologies like DSL and cable. This type of technology needs to be more reliable and often becomes slow, which results in the recipients facing multiple problems. According to a report released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), only 29% of the population in El Salvador had internet access in 2019. This number shows how much development work is needed at the forefront of the internet revolution that El Salvador requires. 

Therefore, to solve those problems related to internet connectivity, Starlink was launched over the country. It was June 2021 when the President of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, decided to invite SpaceX to start the implementation of Starlink. El Salvador recognizes Starlink over other broadband services, which can bridge the internet connectivity gap nationwide. 

Moreover, from an economic point of view, the addition of Starlink could be a massive breakthrough in El Salvador’s reception in global markets. Using Starlink, businesses could facilitate their services more efficiently than before. Even the tourism sector, one of the prime reasons behind El Salvador’s economic growth, might help tourists settle down quickly. 

Benefits of Starlink in El Salvador

Until now, you might have understood how much progress Starlink can offer with its implementation across a country like El Salvador. Here are a few more benefits that can help you better understand them. 

Cost-effective

Compared to other traditional internet service providers, the cost of getting a subscription to Starlink is significantly lower. You can check pricing on the official Starlink website or check our post for instance: Starlink Internet Plans and Monthly Cost.

High speed

Starlink is known for providing an internet speed of almost 100Mbps, making downloading content even more straightforward. 

Challenges and Limitations 

Installation of Starlink would be a challenging sailing process as plenty of challenges must be kept in mind before moving. Here are some of those challenges discussed in the points below.

Digital Infrastructure

One of the prime reasons behind the lack of internet connectivity in parts of El Salvador is due to several constraints faced digitally. Due to the availability of those constraints, El Salvador’s progression as a digitally enhanced country is in jeopardy. According to multiple international reports, El Salvador has already exhausted their digital arsenal, further complicating the situation. Moreover, half the population isn’t in the domain of internet activity, which needs to be changed if the country wants a digital evolution. 

Skills

Being one of the smallest countries, El Salvador has a small workforce, so people aren’t there to contribute. In addition, even if people are selected for a job, they might not be cut out due to a lack of skill set. The country is in trouble due to office inefficiency, where employees need help to fulfill their goals. El Salvador needs to develop several digital training programs so that people can understand the depth of knowledge and skill required to reach the top. 

Government Initiatives and Partnerships

It was during the late 1990s when the Internet appeared in El Salvador. From there on, significant progress has been made as the country is set to embrace the services of Starlink. The country continues to embark on the positive side of citizens as they require the Internet to connect themselves to the outside world.

In 1998, the first Internet connection was established under the domain of .edu. This changed into the .sv domain in the following year, 1999. Throughout the years, El Salvador has continued their operation in trying to improve the country’s internet connectivity. 

Significant investment has been allotted by El Salvador government in trying to bridge the gap in internet reception. Plenty of new initiatives have been planned across the country.

For instance, Internet Para Toros is a program the El Salvador government launched to help low-income groups access the Internet. With the help of such initiatives and partnerships with multiple broadband services, El Salvador could reach full internet connectivity. 2025 is the target that has been discussed in the El Salvador high table spaces. 

Impact on Existing Internet Service Providers

With the rise of Starlink, other internet service providers have faced a lot of heat as they cannot provide the same benefits. Therefore, you can go through the points below to know more about the impact on existing internet service providers. 

Losing customers

After the implementation of Starlink, the current internet service providers might need help to keep their customer base. Almost all customers are looking for internet service providers with high speed at a low cost. These factors are subsequently present in Starlink, unlike other internet service providers. 

Less profit

Another significant impact that Starlink has potentially left on other internet service providers is the generation of less revenue. Because customers leave their existing internet service providers, the companies need more profits, so most are closing their operations. 

Also Check: Starlink Philippines

Future Prospects and Expansion Plans

In terms of the present situation, Starlink is on a path to bring an internet revolution across the whole nation of El Salvador. The primary aim behind the services of Starlink is to provide those places with the Internet where connection is a significant hurdle. It is mainly the remote places where traditional broadband services cannot reach. Ultimately, the goal of Starlink is to supply internet services to all the remote places at a low cost so that people there don’t have to worry about money to avail of its services. 

Conclusion 

Being one of the smallest developing countries worldwide El Salvador needs to have adequate internet services present across the nation. Without the help of the internet, a country like El Salvador might not be able to reach the heights it might have set itself. Therefore, Starlink is the best solution when it comes to wide-range internet connectivity.