“Starlink is providing free broadband service to Venezuelans until February 3, ensuring continuous connectivity,” Starlink posted on Sunday. A few hours later, Musk reposted the statement, “In support of the Venezuelan people,” along with a Venezuelan flag emoji.
The move is notable, but not entirely surprising. Musk has been a vocal critic of Maduro for the past two years and calls his arrest “a victory for the world and a clear message to evil dictators everywhere.” Meanwhile, Starlink has become a geopolitical disruptor in its own right, supporting connectivity and battlefield communications in war-torn Ukraine, Sudan, and several Middle Eastern conflict zones.
Starlink’s growing defense presence
After being captured, Maduro and his wife were taken to New York to face charges related to drug trafficking, terrorism and firearms. The couple is being held in federal custody at MDC-Brooklyn and are expected to appear in court today at 12 noon ET.
The US incursion into Venezuela included airstrikes, which mainly targeted military infrastructure, but reportedly damaged some homes and killed at least 40 people, including civilians. Venezuela faced significant connectivity issues long before this attack, but the intrusion has worsened them at a time when access to information is more important than ever.
Following the airstrikes, electricity and internet connections were reportedly cut off in a part of the country’s capital, Caracas. Local outlets also reported power outages in Miranda state.
Enter Starlink: the world’s largest satellite megaconstellation. More than 9,000 active low-Earth orbit satellites provide broadband Internet access to remote areas or places with damaged infrastructure, such as war zones. The service has become essential to the defense of Ukraine against Russian aggression. It has also kept a field hospital running in Gaza and provided relief from internet blackouts in Sudan.
Musk offers Venezuela a lifeline
Venezuela is listed as “coming soon” on Starlink’s availability map, but in a statement, the SpaceX subsidiary explained that Venezuelans who already have Starlink kit can now access the service through a roaming plan. Free service credits will be proactively applied to both active and inactive customer accounts.
“While we don’t [yet have] A timeline for local purchase availability, if and when updates will be communicated directly through official Starlink channels,” the statement reads.
Starlink’s growing presence in conflict zones has been praised as a vital lifeline for military and vital civilian operations, but it has also raised concerns about the ability of a private company to control Internet access during war.
Such concerns were factored into the US Defense Department’s decision to bring Starlink activities in Ukraine under its oversight in 2023 through a contract with SpaceX. It is unclear whether DoD will oversee the Starlink deployment in Venezuela, but this quick response underscores the company’s evolving role as a strategic actor in the global conflict.
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