The satellite internet service Starlink is entering South Asian countries in its latest expansion, offering fast internet connections to people left offline but raising concerns about the dominance of a company owned by billionaire Elon Musk.
The satellite unit of Musk’s SpaceX signed agreements this month with several Bangladeshi firms to set up ground stations after the head of the interim government, Muhammad Yunus, invited Musk to visit and launch Starlink services.
Starlink is also awaiting for licenses in India and Pakistan and last week agreed with two Indian telecom companies to introduce its services.
Starlink can provide high-speed internet to remote areas that traditional providers cannot reach. But its rapid expansion has been controversial, especially since Musk became a powerful adviser to US President Donald Trump.
Here is what you need to know about Starlink’s growing presence across a wide geography.
Where is Starlink expanding?
Out of the more than 5.5 billion people who are online across the world, Starlink claims more than 5 million users in 125 countries and territories, having doubled its subscriber base in 2024 alone.
Starlink uses low-earth orbit satellites, which travel at low altitudes, to provide internet without the need for a cable connection or towers.
This can provide connections to key services for people in remote areas, such as Zimbabwean villagers accessing healthcare services and tsunami-hit islanders in Tonga.
Musk’s ambitions go beyond Earth. The Marslink project, still in early stages, aims to deliver internet connectivity to Earth from its neighbour.
What are the concerns surrounding Starlink?
The fast growth of Starlink’s operations has run awry of regulations in several countries and sparked complaints about speed, costs and the threat to local internet providers.
Starlink’s bid to enter South Africa has stalled over equity laws that require international companies to sell or donate a 30 per cent stake in their local operations to historically disadvantaged communities - a rule that drew criticism from Musk and Trump.
In Ukraine, where telecom networks were devastated after Russia’s 2022 invasion, the military and part of the civilian population have turned to Starlink, but now many worry Musk’s company has too much control over Ukraine’s communications.
Reuters reported last month that US negotiators discussing a minerals deal with Kyiv suggested they could cut Starlink services unless Ukraine agreed to the deal - though Musk denied the report.
How are countries navigating the risks?
With Musk working as a “special government employee” for Trump and SpaceX building hundreds of spy satellites for the US military, some countries are worried about potential security issues with Starlink.
Among them are Pacific nations that have warned that Starlink poses a risk to data security and privacy.
The French-German satellite group Eutelsat, which has similar technology as Starlink, has said it is discussing providing additional internet access to Ukraine amid concerns that Musk could pull the plug. However, Eutelsat is a smaller company with more expensive packages.
Competition may also come from China, which is investing heavily in satellite internet and plans to launch 43,000 low-earth orbit satellites by 2030.
Shanghai-based SpaceSail plans to enter Brazil, has begun working in Kazakhstan and says it is in talks with more than 30 other countries.
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