The news agency has reported numerous cases of illegal trade and activation of satellite terminals
Starlink satellite communication terminals can be purchased illegally in countries where no agreement exists for the use of Elon Musk’s SpaceX network – including nations that are subject to international sanctions, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
A growing black-market trade has reportedly emerged in territories with poor internet coverage and quality, where there is a need for high-speed online communications.
Starlink kits, developed and operated by the US aerospace company, are in “widespread use” in Yemen, according to an unnamed government official cited by Bloomberg. The country is in the midst of a decade-long civil war.
Western diplomats told the news agency that soldiers of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces are using Starlink systems in Sudan “for their logistics,” as the internet has been down in the country since February.
Internet users in South Africa and Venezuela can also bypass a ban and activate Starlink terminals using retailers and international credit cards. The South American nation is the subject of sanctions imposed by the UK, the US, and other Western allies.
In South Africa, where the government hasn’t yet approved Starlink’s application to operate, terminals are being traded on Facebook groups. Dealers offer to purchase and activate kits in neighboring Mozambique, where they are licensed, and then deliver them over the border to South African customers.
SpaceX currently has some 5,500 Starlink satellites in low-earth orbit, providing web services to around 2.6 million customers. The company launched its first one in 2019, while CEO Elon Musk is aiming to increase the total number of satellites to 42,000 in the coming decades.
Earlier this year, the Ukrainian authorities claimed that the Russian military had been using the Starlink satellite service on the battlefield. The service has been widely used by the Ukrainian Army during the military conflict. Musk denied supplying the Starlink satellite internet network to Russian troops, while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow had never officially ordered SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet terminals, adding that they are not certified for use in Russia.
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