The passage of SpaceX Starlink satellites is observed in the skies of Gaziantep, Turkiye on September 01, 2023. In the real world, its reach extends to countries where Elon Musk’s satellite-enabled service has no agreement to operate, including territories ruled by repressive regimes.
Or take Sudan, where a year-long civil war has led to accusations of genocide, crimes against humanity and millions of people fleeing their homes. With the regular internet down for months, soldiers of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are among those using the system for their logistics, according to Western diplomats.
Starlink plans to launch tens of thousands of additional satellites to connect places that are too remote for ground-based broadband or that have been cut off by natural disasters or conflict.But given the security concerns around a private American company controlling internet service, SpaceX first needs to strike agreements with governments in each territory.
Play VideoThose same properties made it vital to Ukraine’s military in its defense against invading Russian forces. SpaceX provided the technology to Kyiv in the early days of Russia’s invasion, and Starlink has since become crucial to the Ukrainian communications infrastructure. The US Department of Defense later struck a deal with Starlink to supply Ukraine with equipment, the terms of which were not made public.
SpaceX should be able to prevent Russian use of Starlink in occupied Ukraine, since “basically every single transmitter can be identified,” said Candace Johnson, director at NorthStar Earth & Space Inc., a Montreal company that in January successfully launched four satellites — on a rocket from SpaceX competitor Rocket Lab USA Inc. — to identify and track objects in space.
Gold miners in remote areas along the borders of South Sudan and the Central African Republic were provided with Starlink services even prior to the war by traders working in South Darfur’s Nyala City. Starlink says on its website that a “service date is unknown at this time” for Sudan. Haroun Mohamed, a trader in Nyala who transports goods across the border to Chad and South Sudan, said the use of Starlink by RSF soldiers and civilians was widespread.
“Jumia is aware that there are some unofficial distributors of these kits,” El Gabry said in an interview. While the number of devices is not yet at an alarming level, “it is a point of discussion between us and Starlink that this needs to be brought under control,” he said.
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