Famous businessman Elon Musk on Friday announced his project to set satellite internet network covering the most remote places in the Amazon; a project that has the support of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
Musk, the world's richest man and founder of the carmaker Tesla, made a surprise visit to Brazil, where he had a meeting with the head of state in the southeastern state of São Paulo, local media report.
According to Bolsonaro, who will seek a new term in October, the project includes examining Brazil's "economic potential," investments, innovation, connectivity and the use of technology to "strengthen protection" in the Amazon.
On this occasion, Musk announced the "launch" of his Starlink satellite system in 19,000 schools in rural areas; a technology that he said will also allow environmental "monitoring" of the Amazon.
"We need this connectivity" to protect the Amazon, Musk stressed to a small group of businessmen and students. Meanwhile, Brazil's Communications Minister Fabio Farias, who organized the meeting, noted that low-altitude satellites could be launched in the Amazon region in the "next few months."
Brazil's National Telecommunications Agency had authorized earlier this year the operation of Starlink satellites, which provide network access via small antennas that are easy to install wherever Internet service providers cannot set up terminals.
Starlink is licensed to place 40,000 satellites worldwide, and there are currently 2,000 satellites launched within 500 kilometers of Earth. According to Musk's own plans, Starlink could be available to Amazon in the first quarter of 2023.
According to Bolsonaro, Musk's proposal to connect the most remote areas of the Amazon to the Internet via satellite can help show the "reality" of the largest rainforest on the planet.
"We are counting on Musk to make the Amazon known to everyone in Brazil and the world, to show the exuberance of this region, how it is preserved and what harm is caused to us by those who spread lies about this region," said the head of state.
Elon Musk's trip to Brazil comes almost a month after the businessman announced the purchase of the social network Twitter for 44 billion dollars; an operation supported by Bolsonaro but which was finally suspended.
