Sun-powered Starlink keeps typhoon-ravaged Philippine island online against all odds

Manila: In a groundbreaking leap for a typhoon-ravaged island, Masbate, a sprawling cattle-ranch haven in the eastern Philippines — roughly five times the size of Singapore — now pulses with Starlink-powered broadband internet.

It's a game-changer in post-disaster response and rebuilding.

The connectivity lifeline arrived in the wake of Severe Tropical Storm Opong (Bualoi), which battered the province, leaving communication networks in disarray.

The province, home to nearly a million people across 20 towns, remains without mains power.

On Monday, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Secretary Henry Aguda led a mission to Masbate, delivering 10 additional Starlink units to bolster the island’s digital infrastructure.

Meeting with Masbate Governor Richard Kho, Aguda handed over the cutting-edge generation-3 satellite gear, a critical step toward restoring and enhancing connectivity.

His team, joined by telecom representatives, fanned out to inspect key sites, including the Masbate provincial office, free charging stations, and Wi-Fi connectivity hubs, ensuring the storm’s aftermath didn’t sever the island’s digital pulse.

Prior to this, three Starlink units, 10 routers, and a 2kW solar-powered station had already been deployed to support urgent communication needs and data collection.

Aguda said their visit to Masbate would allow them to evaluate the situation of its ICT facilities, outlining plans for further aid to the storm-hit region.

The Starlink units are now operational at Masbate Airport’s communications tower and the Masbate Provincial Hospital’s administrative office.

This will help enhance the hospital's daily operations, particularly in internal communications, records management, and the swift coordination of medical services.

Meanwhile, DICT teams are combing affected communities to assess damage to free Wi-Fi units, ensuring no corner of Masbate is left disconnected.

The Starlink deployment marks a pivotal moment, weaving a digital safety net for an island rebounding from nature’s fury, with the promise of stronger, faster connectivity to fuel recovery and resilience.

Starlink is a satellite internet service provided by SpaceX that offers high-speed, low-latency internet access to users, particularly in rural and remote areas where traditional internet services are unreliable or unavailable.

It utilises a constellation of thousands of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to transmit signals, providing faster speeds and lower latency compared to older geostationary satellite services. Users connect to the network using a Starlink Kit, which includes a satellite dish, router, and power supply.