South Korean shipping companies are rushing to subscribe to U.S.-based SpaceX’s satellite communication service, Starlink, to prevent young sailors from leaving their jobs due to feelings of social isolation caused by the inability to access the internet while out at sea.
According to the telecommunications industry on March 16, the Korea Shipowners’ Association plans to hold a bidding process within the first half of this year for domestic distributors of Starlink, including SK Telink, KT SAT, and LG Uplus. The initiative aims to support its member shipping companies in subscribing to Starlink at a lower cost. Given the high demand for Starlink among these companies, the association intends to expedite the subscription process as much as possible. Additionally, it plans to provide subsidies to shipping companies that subscribe to Starlink, using funds from the Ocean Together Foundation, a maritime public interest organization. This year alone, at least several dozen ships are expected to adopt Starlink, with projections reaching thousands in the long term.
The maritime industry’s growing interest in satellite internet is largely seen as an effort to curb the outflow of young sailors. Some South Korean shipping companies are already subscribing to Starlink overseas due to strong demand among sailors. This is particularly crucial for deep-sea vessels that must cross the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans, where internet access is significantly limited for extended periods. A Korea Shipowners’ Association representative stated, “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 is expected to launch its official service in South Korea in the second quarter of this year. Once the Ministry of Science and ICT approves the necessary cross-border supply agreement within this month, Starlink will proceed through additional reviews by the Ministry of Government Legislation and the Office for Government Policy Coordination. With Starlink’s imminent entry into the domestic market, related services are also emerging, such as KT SAT’s recently introduced “XWAVE-ONE,” a solution designed to optimize Starlink’s usability.
Starlink satellites are low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites positioned approximately 500 km above the Earth’s surface, significantly lower than geostationary satellites at 36,000 km. This positioning allows for over 10 times faster data transmission speeds. While LEO satellite communications offer high speed, they also have a narrower coverage area per satellite. However, Starlink has addressed this issue by launching a vast number of satellites. Of the approximately 8,000 LEO satellites currently orbiting Earth, over 7,000 belong to Starlink, with plans to increase this number to 42,000 in the future.
Source: Business Korea
