The Starlink company – part of the Space X conglomerate, of Elon Musk- will start its activities from Saturday, April 1, 2023 in Ecuador. Starlink’s satellite Internet service will be available to residents of the Galapagos Islands and to the 250,000 tourists visiting the archipelago.

The Ministry of Telecommunications reported that this multinational company will activate its satellite communications network that will provide broadband internet to citizens living in particular in rural and remote areas of the country.

Starlink has approximately 3,558 active satellites in low Earth orbit, making it possible to upload and send the signal back almost instantaneously to provide high-speed, low-latency internet. This scheme makes it easy to provide internet anywhere, making it ideal for covering remote areas.

In any case, satellite internet is a service that is also offered by other companies in Ecuador, such as DataCom, Hughesnet, Puntonet and CNT.

HughesNet indicates that it is available in the following regions: Azuay, Bolívar, Cañar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Ríos, Manabí, Morona Santiago, Napo, Orellana, Pastaza, Pichincha, Santa Elena, Santo Domingo de Los Tsáchilas, Sucumbíos, Tungurahua and Zamora Chinchipe.

This company offers two types of plans: Home and SME. All options include broadband internet via satellite, a stable connection and 24/7 support. It has monthly plans from $64.99 to $79.99. Plus a one-time activation fee of $100.

Datacom has its service rates on its website and specifies that its internet is based on Ku-band, which ensures stability, reliability and a strong satellite footprint on the mainland and the Galapagos Islands. It describes that in terms of satellite services, its technology is suitable for industries such as oil, mining, shipping and mobile data transmission to remote places.

For its part, Puntonet indicates that it is a VSAT satellite hub state-of-the-art, two ground stations and specialized technical staff. The monthly cost has different prices, available in the tariff, although the installation is $300 plus tax, in Mainland and Galapagos plans.

While CNT states that its VSAT satellite internet is based on different bands and with different capacities, adapting to customer needs, reaching remote places with unlimited download resources. The cheapest plan is $138.74, while the basic install is $400 and goes up to $700 if you need to access it by plane or boat.