After 2.5 months, the waiting time is finally over: Starlink was launched in a new country, namely Mongolia.
The launch in the East Asian country marks the 71st market that Starlink is available in, following previous introductions in Paraguay, Eswatini, the Maldives, Benin, Georgia, and more.
In the previous year, Starlink was introduced in 25 countries. While 2024 will likely be less eventful, heavy hitters like Argentina and India are still on the docker.
2023 also underlined Starlink’s staying power, even in light of new market entrants such as Amazon’s Project Kuiper.
As of today, Starlink has a 2.3 million-strong membership base (not to be confused with annual subscribers).
Mongolia is certainly an interesting case due to its geographical proximity to China and rich natural resources.
Back in July 2023, Mongolia granted Starlink an operating license, which prompted Chinese military officials to voice their concerns over potential security breaches.
The two parties first initiated talks in February 2023 during the Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona.
Meanwhile, China continues to invest hundreds of billions of dollars into its native space industry, including the creation of its own LEO-based constellation.
Coming back to Mongolia, Starlink priced its Residential tier at MNT185,000 (or USD53) per month.
Furthermore, hardware (Standard Actuated) costs MNT1.525 million, plus MNT150,000 for shipping.
Feel free to check out all the different prices that Starlink charges by visiting our global price list.
One particularly interesting use case for Starlink in Mongolia will be supporting mining operations.
Being licensed in Mongolia will allow those mining companies to forgo paying penalties – like the Chinese being penalized USD700 for illegally using Starlink in Zimbabwe.
Apart from mining operations, Starlink will also aid the country with its E-Mongolia program, which aims to propel the country’s tech workers and allow them to participate in the global economy.
Mongolia has experienced a swift expansion of internet connectivity, leading to a significant increase in its digital community.
Data from the World Bank shows that in 2021, 84% of Mongolians were connected to the internet, a dramatic rise from the 12% recorded in 2011.
The bulk of this expansion occurred over the last five years; as recently as 2018, less than half of the Mongolian population had internet access.