Elon Musk’s Starlink Launches Internet Service in Sri Lanka, Ushering in A New Era of Connectivity

Elon Musk’s satellite constellation, Starlink, has launched Internet services in Sri Lanka.

Holding on X (formerly Twitter), said Musk, “Starlink now available in Sri Lanka”, Historical development in the push of the country to improve internet connectivity.

The launch of Starlink in the Asian country comes after the Internet supplier obtained a supplier license in August 2024, from the Sri Lanka Telecommunications Commission (TRCSL), to offer wide -band Internet services.

The development followed after a meeting between the president of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinghe and Elon Musk, in Indonesia last year. During the meeting, they discussed accelerating the demand process to connect Sri Lanka to Starlink, to improve access by Hri Lanka to broadband Internet via satellite technology.

The digital transformation of Sri Lanka has taken a considerable impulse in recent years, with the adoption of the Internet and the development of infrastructure progressing regularly through the island nation. At the beginning of 2025, more than half of the population of approximately 12.4 million people had internet access, marking a penetration rate of 53.6%.

This figure reflects a notable increase of 7% compared to the previous year, indicating coherent growth in connectivity. However, almost 46.4% of Sri Lankans remain offline, highlighting the persistent digital fracture that separates urban and rural communities.

According to recent reports, the total Internet subscriptions of Sri Lanka, including mobile and fixed broadband, reached 26 million by the end of 2024, an increase of 19% in annual sliding. Mobile connections alone represented 29.3 million, exceeding the population of the country due to the multiple ownership of SIMs. In particular, around 93% of mobile subscriptions were compatible with broadband, with a 3G covering almost 98% of the country and 4G reaching almost complete national coverage.

In terms of performance, large -band services offer median download speeds of around 22 to 23 Mbps, while mobile networks offer approximately 20 Mbps. SLT-MOBITEL is currently leading to fixed high speed with download speeds reaching up to 34 Mbps and download speeds of 22 Mbps, although the latency remains relatively high at 85 ms. Mobile speeds, on the other hand, on average 19 to 20 Mbps with latency between 17 and 22 ms, according to the overall Speed ​​Test index.

Starlink’s official entry into the Sri Lanka telecommunications space marks a pivotal moment in the digital evolution of the country. With the internet service now authorized in the country to operate locally, the implications are both immediate and large -scale, in particular to fill the digital fracture and strengthen the economic and technological resilience of the country.

With 43.7% of the population of Sri Lanka offline from January 2024, the Internet by Satellite of Starlink can offer high -speed download speeds (50 to 200 Mbps of download) to poorly served rural areas, such as tea plantations and distant regions like Ella and Yala, where traditional fibers or 4G coverage are low or not existing.

The satellite internet offers download speeds from 25 to 220 Mbps and download speeds from 5 to 25 Mbps, with latency as low as 20 ms under optimal conditions. This surpasses many terrestrial suppliers in rural and rival areas of urban fiber connections, allowing seamless streaming, video calls and games. Also, Starlink Infrastructure is less vulnerable to natural disasters compared to land networks, ensuring connectivity during emergencies, which is essential for a country subject to monsoons and floods.

In particular, Starlink has the potential to transform the Sri Lanka Internet landscape by providing high -speed connectivity to distant areas, stimulating economic growth and supporting digital inclusion. This could improve the attractiveness of Sri Lanka for international companies and digital services.