How Starlink Conquered Latin America

Starlink, the satellite tv for pc broadband supplier operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX unit, is making speedy inroads in Latin America.

As of November 2024, Starlink’s providers are reside in 28 international locations/abroad territories in Latin America, with extra launches deliberate for 2025.

One of the compelling points of Starlink’s service is its capacity to ship high-speed, low-latency connectivity.

Beforehand, satellite tv for pc web providers got here from single geostationary satellites that orbit the planet at 35,786 km. In contrast, Starlink has a constellation of 1000’s of satellites orbiting the planet a lot nearer to Earth—at round 550 km—delivering far decrease latency.

Its high-speed, low-latency providers are helpful in a area the place many rural localities have poor or non-existent mounted and/or cell community connectivity. Starlink has additionally highlighted its potential as a backup community throughout pure disasters.

Background

SpaceX launched its first 60 Starlink low earth orbit satellites in Could 2019.

Starlink began offering a beta service in October 2020 and went reside one yr later. It hit the a million subscription mark in December 2022, two million in September 2023, and three million in Could 2024. Most not too long ago, the group confirmed that it reached 4 million subscriptions in September 2024.

In line with one web site that tracks Starlink launches, as of October 31, 2024, there have been 6,554 satellites in orbit, with 6,075 in “operational orbit.”

Starlink is optimistic of ultimately growing its mega-constellation to greater than 42,000 satellites.

The Large Hitters: Brazil and Mexico

Starlink Brazil Servicos de Web launched in choose areas of Brazil in Could 2022, adopted by nationwide availability in February 2023.

At launch, Elon Musk disclosed plans to cowl 19,000 unconnected colleges in rural areas and use the community to observe the chance of unlawful fires and deforestation within the Amazon rainforest.

In July 2024, Starlink requested permission from the Nationwide Telecommunications Company (Agencia Nacional de Telecomunicacoes, Anatel) to deploy a further 7,500 communications satellites.

Starlink was beforehand approved to function 4,408 satellites—all of that are at present in operation—till March 2027.

It’s understood that the corporate has already obtained approval to activate the identical satellites from the Federal Communications Fee (FCC) within the U.S. As per the regulatory submitting, Starlink additionally seeks to reinforce its present Ku-band and Ka-band spectrum holdings with E-band frequencies within the 71GHz-76GHz/81GHz-86GHz band.

In line with knowledge from Anatel, Starlink served 264,883 mounted broadband subscriptions in Brazil as of September 30, 2024, up from 114,925 one yr earlier.

Starlink served 264,883 mounted broadband subscriptions in Brazil as of September 30, 2024, up from 114,925 one yr earlier.

In the meantime, Starlink lodged its request to function in Mexico with the Federal Telecommunications Institute (Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones, IFT) on April 2, 2021, and acquired its license on Could 28, 2021. As per the phrases of its license, Starlink—registered regionally as Starlink Satellite tv for pc Programs Mexico—was obliged to launch industrial providers inside 180 days. The ten-year concession is extendable for an additional ten years.

In October 2023, Starlink was handed a three-year contract valued at MXN887.5 million–MXN1.8 billion by the Federal Electrical energy Fee (Comision Federal de Electricidad, CFE) to produce rural broadband connectivity throughout the nation. As per authorities documentation, the contract runs till December 31, 2026. The CFE is accountable for overseeing the state-backed “Web para Todos” (Web for Everybody) program.

As of June 30, 2024 Starlink claimed 160,631 subscriptions in Mexico.

As of June 30, 2024 Starlink claimed 160,631 subscriptions in Mexico.

Different Central and South American nations with reside Starlink providers: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay. 

Caribbean Connectivity

Starlink has additionally made robust progress within the Caribbean.

The corporate lodged its request to function within the Dominican Republic with the Dominican Telecommunications Institute (Instituto Dominicano de las Telecomunicaciones, Indotel) on January 26, 2022, and acquired its license on March 16, 2022. It then launched industrial providers in July 2022, making the Dominican Republic the primary Caribbean nation to obtain Starlink connectivity.

As of June 30, 2024, Starlink claimed a complete of 17,780 mounted broadband subscriptions within the Dominican Republic.

As of June 30, 2024, Starlink claimed a complete of 17,780 mounted broadband subscriptions within the Dominican Republic.

In November 2022, recent from its Dominican Republic launch, Starlink formally acquired a license to function in neighboring Haiti. The corporate was registered as Starlink Haiti and is permitted to “function freely in Haiti” utilizing the Ku-band. Starlink gear will be bought instantly from the corporate’s web site, or obtained by an accepted, approved reseller.

Beforehand, in July 2022, Conatel approved SpaceX to begin a two-year pilot program in Haiti. On July 1, 2024, Conatel formally prolonged Starlink’s license for an additional 5 years.

Different Caribbean nations with reside Starlink providers: the Bahamas, Barbados, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Saint-Barthelemy, Saint-Martin, Trinidad and Tobago, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Coming Quickly

In line with the Starlink web site, a handful of latest LatAm markets are scheduled to go reside earlier than the top of 2024, particularly: Suriname, Montserrat, and Antigua & Barbuda.

In 2025, Starlink will make a concerted effort to ramp up its presence throughout the Caribbean, the place it already claims partial availability.

International locations earmarked for connectivity subsequent yr embody: Anguilla, Aruba, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Maarten, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. It’s value noting that Starlink doesn’t at present maintain a license in all of those international locations, no matter their standing on its web site.

In Belize, a session not too long ago happened to gauge stakeholder suggestions on the potential arrival of Starlink, and acquired loads of pushback from the incumbent operators. 

Elsewhere, within the Falklands Islands, Batelco-backed Certain Falkland Islands has a communications monopoly till December 31, 2027, that means Starlink has no actual room for maneuver.

That stated, earlier this month, the Falkland Islands Legislative Meeting accepted a set of suggestions from the Telecommunications Choose Committee, geared toward making web entry extra accessible by changes to VSAT licensing charges and potential Starlink tariffs. The reforms had been prompted after greater than 2,000 locals signed a petition in help of Starlink.

Lifeless Air

A handful of Latin American nations have resisted the lure of Elon Musk’s satellite tv for pc broadband providers. Notably, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela—whose respective governments have their very own motivations to stay cautious of giving residents unfiltered entry to Starlink.

A handful of Latin American nations have resisted the lure of Elon Musk’s satellite tv for pc broadband providers—notably, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela.

In August 2024, the Bolivian authorities blocked Starlink’s try and get an working license. Whereas the main points stay unclear, a number of authorities paperwork have been leaked on social media, shedding mild on the state of affairs.

Final month, official paperwork shared on X revealed that Nationwide Deputy Mariela Baldivieso requested a report from the Minister of Telecommunications relating to the particular causes and processes behind the choice to disallow Starlink a license—in addition to the laws utilized to justify this determination.

The Cayman Islands has additionally thrown a wrench in Starlink’s plans. In August 2024, watchdog OfReg banned the sale of Starlink terminals within the nation as a consequence of its lack of a license.

Customers had been allegedly signing up for Jamaican service plans to bypass the dearth of official availability—solely to drive the federal government’s hand, and see the service blocked altogether.