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Elon Musk traveled to Indonesia鈥檚 resort island of Bali on Sunday to launch Starlink satellite internet service in the world鈥檚 largest archipelago nation.

Wearing a green Batik shirt, Mr. Musk was greeted with a garland of flower petals at a community health clinic in Denpasar, the provincial capital of Bali, where he launched the Starlink service alongside Indonesian ministers.

Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 17,000 islands sprawled across three time zones with a population of more than 270 million, has been trying for years to secure deals with Mr. Musk鈥檚 Tesla on battery investment and for Mr. Musk鈥檚 SpaceX to provide fast internet for the country鈥檚 remote regions.

During the ceremony, Mr. Musk took a speed test of the Starlink internet service with several health workers in Indonesia鈥檚 remote regions, including in Aru, one of Indonesia鈥檚 unserved and outermost islands in Maluku province.

鈥淭his can make it really a lifesaver for remote medical clinics, and I think it could be a possibility for education as well,鈥� Mr. Musk told reporters.

鈥淚f you can access the internet then you can learn anything and you can also sell your business services worldwide. So, I think it鈥檚 going to be incredibly beneficial,鈥� he said.

He also signed an agreement on enhancing connectivity in the country鈥檚 health and education sectors. Details about the agreement between the Indonesian government and Mr. Musk鈥檚 SpaceX, the aerospace company that operates Starlink services, were not provided.

Launching the service at a health clinic aligns with Starlink鈥檚 broader mission of providing affordable access to high-speed internet services, particularly in underserved and remote regions, said Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

鈥淥ur remote regions need Starlink to expand high-speed internet services, especially to help with problems in the health, education, and maritime sectors,鈥� Mr. Pandjaitan, a close ally of Indonesia鈥檚 President Joko Widodo, told reporters. He held separate talks with Mr. Musk on Sunday.

Communication and Informatics Minister Budi Arie Setiadi said earlier that local internet providers, which rely on base transceiver stations to transmit signals, are unable to reach outer islands because they have limited coverage. Starlink鈥檚 satellites, which remain in low orbit, will help them deliver faster internet with nationwide coverage.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said of the more than 10,000 clinics across the country, there are still around 2,700 without internet access.

鈥淭he internet can open up better access to health services as communication between regions is said to be easier, so that reporting from health service facilities can be done in real time or up to date,鈥� he said.

During his first in-person visit to Bali, Mr. Musk is also scheduled to participate in the 10th World Water Forum, which seeks to address global water and sanitation challenges.

Mr. Musk spoke in 2022 at the B-20 business forum ahead of a summit of the Group of 20 leading economies that took place in Bali. He joined the conference by video link weeks after completing his heavily scrutinized takeover of Twitter.

Mr. Musk鈥檚 visit comes just weeks after Apple CEO Tim Cook met Mr. Widodo on April 17 and said the company would 鈥渓ook at鈥� manufacturing in Indonesia. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella visited on April 30 and said the company would invest $1.7 billion over the next four years in new cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure in Indonesia.

Indonesia under Former President Widodo has promoted the development of digital technology and information sectors, aiming to achieve the government鈥檚 Golden Indonesia 2045 Vision. The country hopes to become one of the world鈥檚 top five economies with a GDP of up to $9 trillion, exactly a century after it won independence from Dutch colonizers.

This story was reported by The Associated Press. Karmini reported from Jakarta, Indonesia.