- High Demand for Starlink as South Korean Ships Seeks Better Internet Access.
- Korea Shipowners’ Association to Subsidize Starlink for Maritime Industry.
- Satellite Internet Now a Key Employee Benefit for Young South Korean Sailors.
South Korean shipping firms are increasingly signing up for SpaceX’s Starlink satellite communications service to keep young seafarers from quitting work because of loneliness. Lack of access to the internet at sea has been one of the reasons why sailors have been leaving the profession, reports Korea Business.
Industry-Wide Adoption and Subsidy Plans
As of March 16, the Korea Shipowners’ Association has announced that it will conduct a bidding process during the first half of this year to choose local distributors of Starlink, such as SK Telink, KT SAT, and LG Uplus. The action will assist member shipping firms in subscribing to Starlink at a discounted price.
Due to the heavy demand, the association is striving to hasten the process of subscription. It also aims to offer subsidies in the form of the Ocean Together Foundation, a maritime public welfare organization, to mitigate the economic cost to shipping companies. Dozens of ships alone this year are forecasted to become subscribers of Starlink, with estimates reaching thousands in the future.
Improving Sailor Welfare and Retention
The increased popularity of satellite internet is largely stimulated by the bids to retain youthful sailors. Part of the shipping companies in South Korea has already begun subscribing for Starlink abroad to satisfy their crew’s requirements. This is particularly important to deep-sea ships traveling throughout the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, where there is limited access to the internet for prolonged times.
A Korea Shipowners’ Association representative highlighted the importance of connectivity for sailors, stating: “When surveying sailors about the declining preference for their profession, communication issues with family and their social circles were identified as a greater concern than salary or living conditions. In this regard, satellite internet can be considered a type of employee welfare.”
Starlink Official Launch in South Korea
Starlink will officially launch its service in South Korea during the second quarter of this year. Following the approval by the Ministry of Science and ICT of the cross-border supply agreement required this month, there will be further review by the Ministry of Government Legislation and the Office for Government Policy Coordination.
As Starlink is about to enter the home market, connected services are also on the horizon. KT SAT, for instance, has come up with “XWAVE-ONE,” a solution intended to maximize the use of Starlink for shipping purposes.
Technological Edge of Starlink
Starlink satellites are in low-Earth orbit (LEO), about 500 km from the Earth’s surface—considerably lower than the conventional geostationary satellites at 36,000 km. With this placement, data transmission speed is more than ten times quicker than traditional satellite internet.
Although LEO satellites have a smaller coverage area per satellite, Starlink has overcome this deficiency by launching an enormous amount of satellites. Out of the around 8,000 LEO satellites in space, more than 7,000 are from Starlink and are planning to increase this to 42,000 in the coming days.
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Source: Business Korea
