On a visit to the United States, Fábio Faria, Minister of Communications, is trying to close a partnership with SpaceX, founded by billionaire Elon Musk, to connect remote regions of Brazil with internet via satellite.
The space company has about 4,500 low-altitude orbiting satellites. The category includes equipment that is in orbit at up to 2,000 km in altitude. As a comparison, commercial aircraft fly about 10 km above the ground.
“We are looking to partner with them [SpaceX], with the Brazilian government, to connect all the rural schools that are missing, the indigenous communities, all the remote places in Brazil”, said Faria in a social network this Monday (15).
The partnership may also help to preserve the Amazon, according to the minister. The idea is that the internet coverage on site will facilitate the monitoring carried out by the government.
Faria visited SpaceX’s plant in California this Monday (15th) and met with Gwynne Shotwell, the company’s director of operations. He is still on schedule in Texas, where he will meet with Elon Musk, director of SpaceX on Tuesday (16).
Competing in the market with other giants like Amazon, Musk is expected to invest US$ 30 billion (R$ 162.5 billion) in the project called Starlink, which has already placed more than 1,500 satellites into orbit to provide internet to nearly 70,000 users.
In July, SpaceX has already signed a partnership with Chile, where it will enable internet in two cities. To make the connection, the company delivered satellite signal reception kits, which will allow free access services for a year. Afterwards, the cost must be absorbed by the municipalities. Starlink has pledged to offer a download speed potential ranging from 50 to 150 Mb/s,
Faria also met with British company OneWeb, which operates in the same sector, has 350 low-orbit satellites and intends to double the operation next year. Like SpaceX, the company has already asked Anatel for a license to operate in the country.
The meeting with OneWeb took place on Thursday (11), in Glasgow, the city that hosted COP 26, the United Nations climate conference.
On November 5, the government held the auction of the 5G, which moved R$47.2 billion and generated obligations for the winning operators of the lots over the next 20 years.
Of course, Vivo and Tim, who won national lots, will have to implement connectivity projects in public schools. Tim, Algar Telecom and Fly Link took regional lots that have the same requirement.
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