Elon Musk announced that Starlink would continue providing internet services in Ukraine. The message appeared in his recent tweet:
“The hell with it … even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free.”
The decision came a day after Musk suggested that he could not fund the Starlink Ukraine service “indefinitely.” Yet, some sources confirm the heel turn.
People applaud the Starlink Ukraine service update.
Photo Credit: www.reuters.com
According to Al Jazeera, the US military verified that it was coordinating with Musk about funding the satellite internet connection.
The change of heart came after he suggested halting the service the day before. On October 14, Musk noted that SpaceX could not send “several thousand more terminals.”
His tweet mentioned that they use more data than typical households. Also, CNN reported that SpaceX sent a message to the Pentagon about ceasing funds for the service.
The letter says that the Starlink Ukraine service will only continue once the United States military provides millions of dollars monthly.
Fortunately, Elon Musk changed his mind on October 15. A Twitter user responded, “No good deed goes unpunished.”
The SpaceX CEO replied, “Even so, we should still do good deeds.” That is good news for Ukraine, as the satellite network helped the country fend off the Russian invasion.
According to Ukraine, it received 25,000 Starlink ground terminals from SpaceX. The network allowed the Ukrainian military to maintain online communications.
Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said that the Starlink Ukraine service restored energy and communications infrastructure after more than 100 Russian missile attacks. Also, he told Al Jazeera:
“For the last six months, Ukraine has showed very good strategic communication. Of course, there is sometimes lags in the communication and some misunderstanding.”
“At the end of the day, as you see with this tweet [from Musk], we managed to communicate to our partners around the world the importance of supporting Ukraine and Ukrainian people in their fight against the war from Russia.”
Conclusion
Elon Musk says he will continue providing satellite connectivity to Ukraine to help the country. Aside from the Starlink Ukraine service, the service also aids the people of Iran.
On September 23, 2022, Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted that internet freedom must continue for the Iranian people amid their protests.
In response, he tweeted, “Activating Starlink ….” Technology can be a force of good. You can also be one by following the latest news and updates from Inquirer Tech.