A Mozambique-based company, Starsat Africa, has reportedly been supplying Starlink equipment into South Africa. These ‘grey market’ cross-border supplies and active in South Africa have now been disconnected. The reason, says SpaceX, is for unauthorised reselling but might have more to do with not upsetting South Africa’s licensing authorities. Mozambique has licensed Starlink. The official […]
Authorities in Ukraine have confirmed that Russian military forces are buying Starlink equipment from “Arab countries”, according to a Reuters report. It had previously been reported that Dubai in the UAE was a source of supply for equipment going to Russia. Ukraine’s defence ministry’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) released what it said was an […]
A source in Ukraine says that Russia is importing Starlink equipment from Dubai, but at hugely inflated prices. The Ukrainian (Oleg Kutkov), who repairs damaged Starlink equipment, says that Russia is paying between $5,000 and $6,000 per unit. He stresses that Starlink is not officially working in or over Russia but says that Russia and […]
New Zealand telco one.nz is offering clients a new collaboration with SpaceX to provide Starlink satellite to mobile service. Beta testing is available now for emergency messages. “When the service goes live, there will be a Starlink satellite to mobile service for far greater coverage than available now. Whether you’re out on your boat, climbing […]
SpaceX’s Starlink broadband services is officially not allowed in South Africa. However, various reports suggest that it already has around 14,000 users. One report says that StarSat Africa, the Mozambique-based Starlink importer, will be servicing South Africa with equipment, is set to cut prices for Starlink equipment by 13-20 per cent by the end of […]
Currently SpaceX’s Starlink system dominates satellite-based broadband and the potential for ‘direct-to-device’ (MSS: Mobile Satellite Service) communications. However, Globalstar is rolling out its smaller constellation and has Apple helping finance its expansion. The initial problem is that both outfits use the same frequencies (as does Dish Network). SpaceX formally complained to the FCC on February […]
Germany’s Military (Bundeswehr) has ended talks over using Starlink despite reportedly successful test usage by the Cyber Innovation Hub der Bundeswehr. The Bundeswehr, in a statement, said that there has been a disagreement on certain “key issues”. Other national governments are also refusing Starlink access. Additionally there are reportedly fears that Starlink might present security […]
SpaceX now has a mega-constellation of some 5,400 Starlink satellites in orbit. Some of these are its Version 2 craft with sophisticated laser links and extremely rapid inter-satellite links. The 9,000+ installed laser links amount to a massive throughput for the fleet which Starlink says is 42 PetaBytes (PB) per day or 1260 PB/month. There […]
Chris Forrester There’s considerable interest in what various heavyweight suppliers might be doing in terms of Direct-2-Cell satellite telephony. Apple, Google, AST SpaceMobile and others, including SpaceX’s Starlink, are very busy in this area. A filing with the FCC from T-Mobile on January 18th (which is linked with Starlink) explains their intentions, and the practical […]
Zimbabwe’s Postal and Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (Potraz) has issued a warning to users of Starlink broadband equipment that they risk being arrested for the illegal import and usage of the kit. Zimbabwe has not licensed Starlink. The threat extends to companies and individuals who are importing or advertising the equipment. The regulator says […]