15/08/2024
Starlink Vs DataCo (PNG). Really?
There is fresh rumor doing the rounds on PNG's edge of the social media world that the one player that is causing NICTA to "not allow Starlink in the Country" is DataCo. It s rumored that DataCo has taken legal actions against NICTA that prevents NICTA from establishing and executing the legal framework that enables Starlink to provide its service in the country.
Firstly, Up until this point when I actually wrote this posts, I have yet to find a official statement from DataCo that can substantiate this claim to be true. At this point in time, I personally find this piece of rumor to be outright fakenews.
For the unlearnt person, that piece of fakenews sounds logical and will make sense given the fact that your inexperience in Internet services has led you to assume that "Internet services is Internet Services" But to the experienced networking crowd, who know the different mediums for accessing the Internet, they would know that Satellite Internet and Fibre Optic Internet serve two different niche for the corporate Internet market space. In most cases, Satellite Internet and Fiber Optic actually compliment each other when it comes to redundancy - meaning most organizations such as government houses and business houses usually would acquire the services of both Internet accesses just so their Internet downtime is at its minimal best.
Having said explain this, I see no logical sense in DataCo trying to stop Starlink from entering PNG. DataCo's Primary customers are those who can afford a minimum of K3000 a month and are situated - at the most - within urban areas of PNG where there are DataCo Trunk nodes (junction boxes where clients can connect a fiber cable to) which would not that much to pull a cable to customer's premises.
For the average customer to have a fresh installation of DataCo fiber optic Internet Services to their premises would cost an initial K14,000 minimum for setup alone. Rural PNG can't afford such installation cost. Even if Starlink is entirely banned from the PNG market, DataCo would still never create new customers in rural PNG - rural PNG simply can't afford it. It doesn't make sense and its also a waste of legal fees to take out a court order by DataCo.
Who is Starlink are real threat to in the Satellite Internet Services Market in PNG?
- Its obviously the existing Satellite Internet Service Providers. They stand to lose about 90% of their revenue to Starlink. This loss would start from Installation/setup cost to support services. They would have no way to middleman Starlink in the after market and even in the aftersales, just like how they are doing it now with their existing services.
Starlink Internet services is designed specifically to eliminiate the middleman in order to maximize affordability on behalf of the customer. Starlink dishes are smaller than a coffee table and it does not need a 'certified' person to set it up. The owner simply mounts it to their roof, point it to where the Starlink app in their phone tells you to point the dish and poom-paw!! Internet in your home.
And the best part?, the user simply uses their visa debit card to buy Starlink Subscriptions on ther starlink official website or new starlink hardware, in the comfort of their rural homes.
So if there is anything legal that infringes on Starlink's presents in the country, it would most probably be influenced by starlink's competition on the ground and not DataCo.
