Previously, TRP shared a story about a teacher in Sarawak who bought a Starlink device with his own money to provide internet access to his students in a rural area.
READ MORE: Sarawak Teacher Buys Starlink Device With Own Money So Students Have Internet Access
This time around, another Tiktok user and teacher Aekholic (@y.ao_75) also bought a Starlink device for his school in another rural area of Sarawak.
Aekholic drove from Miri to Lapok upon collecting the black Starlink box. Once he reached Lapok, he had to carefully wrap the box in bubble wrap because it was going to be a long journey to his school in Ulu Baram.
He drove for another 5 hours from Lapok to Long Siut, Selungo, where he would have to take a 2-hour boat journey to Long Sait, Ulu Baram.
Tengok la usaha dia nak bawak balik utk guna kat sekolah jauh nun di pendalaman..@elonmusk pic.twitter.com/64nPbfvbUK
— BUKAN Tokey Sarkis™🚬 (@farhanzahari) August 19, 2023
He met a temporary hurdle
When he finally reached his school in Long Sait, he encountered a small issue. The Starlink device didn’t seem to work and Aekholic was worried that there was a malfunction.
He found out that the order number on the Starlink package and on the Order Summary on his phone was different. Due to this, he wondered if he was sent the wrongly registered device instead.
@y.ao_75 STARLINK, what should I do? Return it? Is there any possibility yang kit ni not mine and tersalah ke apa ke.? #starlink #malaysia #elonmusk #pendalaman #tiktok #fyp #tolong #spacex #sarawak #tiktokguru ♬ Instrumen Sedih – Yuda pratama
Fortunately, the issue was resolved after contacting Starlink and MCMC Sarawak for help.
Aekholic did not specifically explain what the problem with the device was but expressed happiness that the device worked as it should. He also thanked Elon Musk for the Starlink device.
Aekholic also conducted an internet speed test and it recorded 127 Mbps, around 12 Mbps for upload speed and 166 ms Latency.
@y.ao_75 Thank you so much MCMC Sarawak for reaching out for me on this matter. Not to forget everyone yang secara langsung dan tidak langsung yang tolong saya on this problem. Banyak yang komen juga on how to solve this matter. Blessed Sunday!! #starlink #elonmusk #ulubaramsarawak #baram #mcmc #sarawak #spacex #fyp #pendalaman #malaysianteachers #aekholic #cikgupendalaman #longsait ♬ Bornean (Sape Dayak Kalimantan) – Helmy Trianggara
Starlink as a temporary solution
Fahmi Fadzil, the Minister of Communications and Digital, said the government is utilising satellite internet services like Starlink as a temporary solution in areas with limited internet access, while concurrently implementing long-term solutions.
So far, four satellite internet service providers, including Starlink, are operational within Malaysia. They are CONNECTme NOW, Maxis, and possibly NTvsat.
READ MORE: Government Adopts Starlink As Short-Term Solution, Clarifies Non-Commercial Intent
