ANGKASA-X— providing internet connectivity as a necessity for the betterment of humankind

The information technology and mobile phone revolution bring much-needed economic change to emerging countries. According to the renowned author Thomas Friedman, the Internet has flattened the world.

Computerization of the offices, including LAN connections on a large scale, has ramped up the scale of businesses ubiquitously. Healthcare, banks, IT, agriculture, logistics, State social welfare policies, etc. are sectors that have seen substantial technological innovations in the last two decades.

According to the UN’s Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the digital divide among the 4.3 billion people living in the APAC region is widening, with almost 52 percent of the population still deprived of well-functioning internet access. This “deprivation of the internet” is heavily concentrated in rural and remote areas driven by a lack of infrastructure and investment, paving the way for societal inequalities. Nevertheless, many foresighted organizations are taking the torch to bridge this “digital divide” in rural areas; at the forefront of these efforts is ANGKASA-X—a technological-social inclusion company striving to provide internet connectivity for all and usher in a sustainable future.

A World Bank study finds that every 10% increase in broadband penetration boosts GDP growth by 1.38% in developing countries. When this is the case, most countries within the ASEAN region struggle to provide reliable internet access to their rural population. As the rural population within these nations are denied connectivity to the Internet, a truly global connection, they are disconnected from the world. Therefore, the country’s economy, literacy rate, ability to provide banking, healthcare infrastructure for the rural population, and even communication within the nation suffers terribly.

As a fundamental public necessity, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic showcased the importance of the Internet to the world. Without this global connectivity to information, a “digital divide” is witnessed among the masses, causing productivity issues and birthing several socio-economic concerns worldwide.

Q. Internet connectivity and collective growth—Why was Angkasa-X founded?

Angkasa-X aims to provide internet connectivity to rural areas in Southeast Asia where traditional terrestrial fiber network is limited, improving the standard of living and eradicating poverty.

In the Southeast Asia region specifically, approximately 335 million rural people are deprived of adequate internet connectivity. Some examples often found in the news are students struggling to obtain internet connectivity for their daily classes and taking extreme measures such as climbing trees, travelling long distances, and sharing public hotspots for internet connectivity. These scenarios are not new and is an ongoing problem but have recently gone from bad to worse since the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Angkasa-X aims to level the playing field by providing the rural population the opportunity for better access to internet connectivity. By offering Satellite-as-a-Service (“SAAS”) to clients such as telecommunications and network companies, Angkasa-X works with these companies to provide packaged services to end users/subscribers in rural areas.

Forming an ecosystem will accelerate economic growth and mutually benefit Angkasa-X as component sourcing becomes comparatively cheaper, especially when working with local Electrical & Electronics (E&E) community – potentially lowering costs for the provision of SAAS and telecommunication companies may offer packaged services at affordable prices to end users.

Driving innovation forward—Angkasa-X’s mission objectives

The four mission objectives are vital in Angkasa-X’s business model (B2B). They also ensure the sustainability of the company and the industry.

1. To invest in R&D, IP creation, components sourcing, assembly-integration-testing (AIT), and launching and maintaining state-of-the-art Low-Earth-Orbit (“LEO”) satellites.
2. To provide internet connectivity to rural areas in Southeast Asia where traditional terrestrial fiber network is limited via investing and operating an A-SEANLINK LEO satellite constellation.
3. To foster collaborations with countries in ASEAN to connect to the A-SEANLINK LEO Satellite constellation by offering ground station services and Satellite-as-a-Service (SaaS) to countries in ASEAN.
4. To form Space Science & Tech Ecosystems in ASEAN by setting up a Space Tech Park in Malaysia.

Driving internet penetration in the ASEAN region through innovation

Angkasa-X considers innovation a necessary impetus to ensuring an ever-evolving industry.

Angkasa-X was founded from the inspiration amidst the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the sudden rise of internet usage in households due to quarantine and work from home policies, the founders noticed a huge demand for internet connectivity, especially in rural areas.

The company believes this innovation will indirectly spur the economy, especially in the Electronic and Electrical (E&E) community, due to the increasing levels of Internet penetration in ASEAN nations. 

More and more populations in the ASEAN region are becoming more dependent on internet connectivity. As technology advances, the shift in lifestyle, education, business, etc., whereby all interactions are quickly being replaced with technology. And where there is technology, there is network communication, i.e., internet connectivity. Additionally, with the global movement to a greener environment, many conventional methods are transitioning—Electric vehicles, paperless documents, and etc. In another instance, IoT devices had become part of many people’s daily lives as a mode of communication during the pandemic. Internet usage skyrocketed when physical interactions were restricted.

However, with the current available technology, enabling affordable internet connectivity to the rural areas and swift rollout of stable internet connectivity in the near future is challenging. Challenges include establishing the necessary network infrastructures (e.g. fiber network cable) under geographically challenging conditions, high cost of laying cables, time, workforce, & etc. Therefore, Angkasa-X believes that satellite internet and communication via LEO satellites is the correct path as it is the quickest, most innovative, and problem-solving solution for the current market demands. 

“Internet Connectivity For The Betterment Of Humankind.”