Starlink Services, LLC is a telecommunications subsidiary of the American spaceflight company SpaceX, providing broadband Internet service in approximately 160 countries and territories. It also aims to provide global mobile broadband. SpaceX began launching Starlink satellites in 2019. As of June 2026, the network consisted of approximately 10,413 satellites (10,397 operational) in low Earth orbit (LEO) that communicate with user terminals and gateway ground stations connecting the constellation to terrestrial internet infrastructure. Starlink also provides in-flight internet access for numerous airlines. Starlink accounts for approximately 75% of all active maneuverable satellites in Earth orbit and had more than 12 million subscribers as of June 2026. In May 2018, SpaceX estimated the cost of designing, building, and deploying the constellation to be at least US$10 billion. By the end of 2025, Starlink had become SpaceX's largest business segment, generating $11.4 billion in revenue and $4.4 billion in operating income. In addition to civilian broadband service, Starlink is also used for government and military communications, including notably in the Russo-Ukrainian war. Its large satellite constellation has prompted discussion regarding its effects on astronomy and orbital congestion.
History
Background Constellations of low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites were first conceptualized in the mid-1980s as part of the United States Strategic Defense Initiative, culminating in Brilliant Pebbles, where weapons were to be staged in low orbits to intercept ballistic missiles on short notice. The potential for low-latency communication was also recognized, and development offshoots in the 1990s led to numerous commercial LEO systems using fewer than 100 satellites, such as Celestri, Iridium, and Globalstar. Teledesic proposed a broadband "Internet in the Sky," similar to Starlink, with 840 satellites. However, some of those entities, including Iridium and Globalstar, went bankrupt. Teledesic voluntarily wound down operations due to financing challenges in the wake of the dot-com bubble burst.
In 2004, Larry Williams, SpaceX VP of Strategic Relations and former VP of Teledesic, opened the SpaceX Washington DC office. That June, SpaceX acquired a 10% stake in Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL) as part of a "shared strategic vision". SSTL was at that time working to extend the Internet into space. However, SpaceX's stake was sold back to EADS Astrium in 2008 after SSTL became more focused on navigation and Earth observation. In early 2014, Elon Musk and Greg Wyler worked together planning a constellation of around 700 satellites called WorldVu, which would be over 10 times the size of the then-largest constellation, Iridium. However, these discussions broke down in June 2014, and SpaceX instead filed an International Telecommunication Union (ITU) application via the Norwegian Communications Authority under the name STEAM. SpaceX confirmed the connection in the 2016 application to license Starlink with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). SpaceX trademarked the name Starlink in the United States for their satellite broadband network; the name was inspired by the 2012 novel The Fault in Our Stars.
Design phase (2015–2016) Starlink was publicly announced in January 2015 with the opening of the SpaceX satellite development facility in Redmond, Washington. During the opening, Musk stated there is still significant unmet demand worldwide for low-cost broadband capabilities, and that Starlink would target bandwidth to carry up to 50% of all backhaul communications traffic, and up to 10% of local Internet traffic, in high-density cities. Musk further stated that the positive cash flow from selling satellite internet services would be necessary to fund SpaceX's Mars plans. Furthermore, SpaceX has long-term plans to develop and deploy a version of the satellite communication system to serve Mars. Starting with 60 engineers, the company operated in 2,800 m2 (30,000 sq ft) of leased space, and by January 2017 had taken on a 2,800 m2 (30,000 sq ft) second facility, also in Redmond. In August 2018, SpaceX consolidated all their Seattle-area operations with a move to a larger three-building facility at Redmond Ridge Corporate Center to support satellite manufacturing in addition to research and development. In July 2016, SpaceX acquired an additional 740 m2 (8,000 sq ft) creative space in Irvine, California. The Irvine office would include signal processing, radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), and application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) development for the satellite program. By October 2016, the satellite division was focusing on the significant business challenge of achieving a sufficiently low-cost design for the user equipment. SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said at the time that the project remained in the "design phase as the company seeks to tackle issues related to user-terminal cost".
Start of development phase (2016–2019) In November 2016, SpaceX applied to the FCC for a license to operate a "non-geostationary orbit (NGSO) satellite system in the fixed-satellite service using the Ku- and Ka- frequency bands". In September 2017, the FCC granted a license that required half of the constellation to be in orbit within six years and that the full system would be operating within nine years from the date of the license. SpaceX filed documents in late 2017 with the FCC to clarify their space debris mitigation plan, under which the company was to:
implement an operations plan for the orderly de-orbit of satellites nearing the end of their useful lives (roughly five to seven years) at a rate far faster than is required under international standards. [Satellites] will de-orbit by propulsively moving to a disposal orbit from which they will re-enter the Earth's atmosphere within approximately one year after completion of their mission.
In March 2018, the FCC granted SpaceX approval for the initial 4,425 satellites, with some conditions. SpaceX would need to obtain a separate approval from the United Nation's International Telecommunication Union (ITU). The FCC supported a NASA request to ask SpaceX to achieve an even higher level of de-orbiting reliability than the standard that NASA had previously used for itself: reliably de-orbiting 90% of the satellites after their missions are complete. In January 2017, SpaceX expected annual revenue from Starlink to reach $12 billion by 2022 and exceed $30 billion by 2025. In May 2018, SpaceX expected the total cost of development and buildout of the constellation to approach $10 billion (equivalent to $12,300,000,000 in 2024). In mid-2018, SpaceX reorganized the satellite development division in Redmond and terminated several members of senior management.
First launches (2019–2020)
After launching two test satellites in February 2018, the first batch of 60 operational Starlink satellites was launched on May 24, 2019. By late 2019, SpaceX was transitioning their satellite efforts from research and development to manufacturing, with the planned first launch of a large group of satellites to orbit, and the clear need to achieve an average launch rate of "44 high-performance, low-cost spacecraft built and launched every month for the next 60 months" to get the 2,200 satellites launched to support their FCC spectrum allocation license assignment. SpaceX said they would meet the deadline of having half the constellation "in orbit within six years of authorization... and the full system in nine years". By July 2020, Starlink's limited beta internet service was opened to invitees from the public. Invitees had to sign non-disclosure agreements, and were only charged $2 per month to test out billing services. In October 2020 a wider public beta was launched, where beta testers were charged the full monthly cost and could speak freely about their experience. Starlink beta testers reported speeds over 150 Mbit/s, above the range announced for the public beta test.
Commercial service (2021–present)
Pre-orders were first opened to the public in the United States and Canada in early 2021. The FCC had earlier awarded SpaceX with $885.5 million worth of federal subsidies from the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF) to support rural broadband customers in 35 U.S. states through Starlink, but the subsidies were revoked in August 2022, with the FCC stating that Starlink "failed to demonstrate" its ability to deliver the promised service. SpaceX later appealed the decision saying they met or surpassed all RDOF deployment requirements that existed during bidding and that the FCC created "new standards that no bidder could meet today". In December 2023, the FCC formally denied SpaceX's appeal since "Starlink had not shown that it was reasonably capable of fulfilling RDOF's requirements to deploy a network of the scope, scale, and size" required to win the subsidy. In March 2021, SpaceX submitted an application to the FCC for mobile variations of their terminal designed for vehicles, vessels and aircraft, and in June the company applied to the FCC to use mobile Starlink transceivers on launch vehicles flying to Earth orbit, after having tested high-altitude low-velocity mobile use on a rocket prototype in May 2021. The FCC approved the application in June 2022. Starlink had an annual loss in 2021. In 2022, SpaceX announced the Starlink Business service tier, a higher-performance version of the service. It provides a larger high-performance antenna and listed speeds of between 150 and 500 Mbit/s with a cost of $2500 for the antenna and a $500 monthly service fee. The service includes 24/7, prioritized support. Deliveries were advertised to begin in the second quarter of 2022. Starlink terminal production was delayed by the 2020–2023 global chip shortage, and only signed up 5,000 subscribers for the last two months of 2021. Revenues from Starlink in 2022 were reportedly $1.4 billion, accompanied by a net loss. The Starlink business unit had a single cash-flow-positive quarter during 2022. On December 1, 2022, the FCC issued an approval for SpaceX to launch the initial 7500 satellites for its second-generation (Gen2) constellation, in three low-Earth-orbit orbital shells, at 525, 530, and 535 km (326, 329 and 332 miles) altitude. Overall, SpaceX had requested approval for as many as 29,988 Gen2 satellites, with approximately 10,000 in the 525–535 km (326–332 mi) altitude shells, plus approximately 20,000 in 340–360 km (210–220 mi) shells and nearly 500 in the 604–614 km (375–382 mi) shells. The FCC noted that this was not a net increase in approved on-orbit satellites for SpaceX, since SpaceX was no longer planning to deploy 7518 V-band satellites at 340 km (210 mi) altitude that had previously been authorized. In March 2023, the company reported that they were manufacturing six Starlink "v2 mini" satellites per day as well as thousands of user terminals. The v2 mini had Gen2 Starlink satellite features while being assembled in a smaller form factor than the larger Gen2 satellites. The Gen2 satellites required the 9 meters (30 feet) diameter Starship in order to launch them. Starlink posted a $30.7 million loss in 2023, and its first year of profitability was 2024, with a net profit of $72.7 million. In November 2024, SpaceX proposed a constellation of Starlink satellites around Mars, referred to as "Marslink". The proposed system would be capable of providing more than 4 Mbit/s of bandwidth between Earth and Mars, as well as imaging services. In March 2025, the director of the United States Department of Commerce's rural broadband program resigned, citing undue emphasis on Starlink from the Trump administration. Also in March, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) installed a Starlink user terminal at the White House complex which raised conflict of interest concerns. In response the White House said that the terminal was donated by Starlink and approved by legal counsel and the United States Secret Service.
International concerns Tensions between Brazil and Elon Musk's business ventures escalated in 2024 as the country's telecom regulator Anatel threatened to sanction Starlink after Brazil's top court upheld a ban on X, Musk's social media platform. Brazil's President Lula supported the decision, citing X's role in allegedly spreading hate and misinformation undermining Brazil's democracy. Brazilian judge Alexandre de Moraes froze Starlink's accounts, and Starlink refused to comply with a court order to block domestic access to X until the freeze was lifted, risking its license to operate. The Wall Street Journal reported in October 2024 that Musk had been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other high ranking Russian government officials since late 2022, discussing personal topics, business and geopolitical matters. The Journal reported that Putin had asked Musk to avoid activating his Starlink satellite system over Taiwan, to appease Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping. The communications were reported to be a closely held secret in government, given Musk's involvement in promoting the presidential candidacy of Donald Trump, and his security clearance to access classified government information. One person said no alerts were raised by the U.S. government, noting the dilemma of the government being dependent on Musk's technologies. Musk initially voiced support for Ukraine's defense against Russia's 2022 invasion by donating Starlink terminals, but made later decisions to limit Ukrainian access to Starlink, which coincided with Russian pressure in public and in private. In a November 2024 call with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Musk said he will continue supporting Ukraine through Starlink. In 2024, SpaceX asked its numerous Taiwanese suppliers to move production abroad, citing geopolitical risk concerns. This move was questioned by the Taiwanese government and resulted in significant anger from the Taiwanese public, with some pointing out that Starlink was unavailable in Taiwan despite its suppliers providing the underlying technology, and others calling for a boycott of Tesla products.
Starting in July 2024, SpaceX began conducting tests on Starlink in cooperation with the Romanian Ministry of National Defense and National Authority for Communications Administration and Regulation (ANCOM). These tests aim at demonstrating that the Equivalent Power Flux Density (EPFD) limit can be safely increased, thus improving the speed and coverage area of Starlink, without affecting classic, geostationary satellites. The results of these tests will be used to help change a rule set by the International Telecommunication Union in the 1990s regarding the limits of non-geostationary satellites. In February 2025, Starlink was part of an investigation by USAID into the agency's oversight of Starlink terminals provided to the Ukrainian government, when USAID's Inspector General was fired by President Trump and all employees put on administrative leave. The USAID website was scrubbed of all information related to the Starlink probe. In March 2025, Musk's involvement in politics was protested by a number of Starlink customers in the U.K. In May 2025, after the Trump administration launched a series of tariffs, the State Department pushed countries to approve American satellite companies, including Starlink. Several countries such as India granted regulatory approval to Starlink, hoping that supporting a company owned by Musk would help negotiations to avoid tariffs.
Services
Satellite internet
Starlink provides satellite-based internet connectivity to underserved and remote areas, while also competing with terrestrial broadband providers in urban and suburban markets. Starlink also offers mobile connectivity services for uses such as recreational vehicles, maritime vessels, and aviation. Terminals for these markets maintain connectivity while in motion. Service speeds and latency vary based on network load, location, and service plan. Typical latency is less than that of traditional geostationary satellite internet systems because Starlink's satellites operate in low Earth orbit. Independent testing has shown that performance has varied over time as subscriber growth, satellite deployment, and network upgrades have altered available network capacity. Because satellite capacity is shared among users within a geographic area, Starlink has implemented network-management policies in some markets. These have included waitlists in high-demand regions, deprioritized service tiers, and data-priority systems intended to manage congestion during periods of heavy network utilization. Pricing varies by country, service tier, and intended use. SpaceX has periodically adjusted prices in response to regional demand and network capacity, including reducing prices in markets where available capacity exceeded demand.
Subscribers
A Starlink subscriber is counted as one active service line. A service line is one internet subscription—usually linked to a specific terminal—and billed under Starlink's standard personal and standard business plans. One service line counts as one subscriber, even if multiple people use it. Likewise, one person or business can have multiple service lines, which are counted separately. It does not include large enterprise or government contracts. Prior to SpaceX's initial public offering, Starlink used the words "customers", "subscribers", and "people" without providing the definitions.
Direct-to-cell service The direct-to-cell service uses Starlink satellites equipped to connect with standard mobile phones without specialized satellite equipment built-in. Performance varies depending on network load, location, and spectrum availability, with limited capacity compared to terrestrial mobile networks. T-Mobile US and SpaceX launched the first commercial implementation in the United States, using T-Mobile midband PCS spectrum to provide coverage in areas without terrestrial mobile service. Initial service supports SMS text messaging, with planned expansion to voice and limited data. The system is designed to work with existing LTE-compatible devices. On January 8, 2024, SpaceX reported successful SMS testing of the system on T-Mobile's network. In April 2023, Rogers Communications announced an agreement with SpaceX to explore satellite-to-phone services in Canada. One NZ announced a partnership in the same month to extend mobile coverage across New Zealand, with SMS service expected in 2024 and voice and data in 2025. In July 2023, Optus announced a similar partnership in Australia. On August 12, 2025, Ukrainian operator Kyivstar conducted a test of the service, with a commercial launch planned for 2025.
Starshield
In December 2022, SpaceX announced Starshield, a separate Starlink-based service designed for government and military customers. The system is intended for use by the U.S. Department of Defense and allied agencies, with options for ownership or leasing of satellites. Starshield satellites are described as supporting encrypted communications and resistance to signal jamming, and are capable of hosting a range of payloads. Starshield satellites are designed to interconnect with Starlink satellites via optical inter-satellite links. In September 2023, the U.S. Space Force awarded the first Starshield-related contract under its Proliferated Low Earth Orbit program for satellite communications. The contract is part of a broader procurement effort involving multiple vendors for military LEO services.
Applications
Military
SpaceX also designs, builds, and launches customized military satellites based on variants of the Starlink satellite bus, with the largest publicly known customer being the Space Development Agency (SDA). SDA accelerates development of missile defense capabilities, primarily via observation platforms, using industry-procured low-cost low Earth orbit satellite platforms. In October 2020, SDA awarded SpaceX an initial $150 million dual-use contract to develop 4 satellites to detect and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles. The first batch of satellites were originally scheduled to launch September 2022 to form part of the Tracking Layer Tranche 0 of the U.S. Space Force's National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA), a network of satellites performing various roles including missile tracking. The launch schedule slipped multiple times but eventually launched in April 2023. In 2020, SpaceX hired retired four-star general Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy who, according to some sources, is associated with Starlink's military satellite development, and according to one source, is listed as a "chief operating officer" at SpaceX. While still on active duty, O'Shaughnessy advocated before the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services for a layered capability with lethal follow-on that incorporates machine learning and artificial intelligence to gather and act upon sensor data quickly. SpaceX was not awarded a contract for the larger Tranche 1, with awards going to York Space Systems, Lockheed Martin Space, and Northrop Grumman Space Systems.
Military communications In 2019, tests by the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) demonstrated a 610 Mbit/s data link through Starlink to a Beechcraft C-12 Huron aircraft in flight. Additionally, in late 2019, the United States Air Force successfully tested a connection with Starlink on an AC-130 Gunship. In 2020, the Air Force used Starlink in support of its Advanced Battlefield management system during a live-fire exercise. They demonstrated Starlink connected to a "variety of air and terrestrial assets" including the Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. Expert on battlefield communications Thomas Wellington has argued that Starlink signals, because they use narrow focused beams, are less vulnerable to interference and jamming by the enemy in wartime than satellites flying in higher orbits. In May 2022, Chinese military researchers published an article in a peer-reviewed journal describing a strategy for destroying the Starlink constellation if they threaten national security. The researchers specifically highlight concerns with reported Starlink military capabilities. Musk has declared Starlink is meant for peaceful use and has suggested Starlink could enforce peace by taking a strategic initiative. Russian officials including the head of Russia's space agency Dmitry Rogozin, have warned Elon Musk and criticized Starlink, including warning that Starlink could become a legitimate military target in the future.
Countermeasures
In response to Ukraine using Starlink in the war with Russia, in particular to guide drones and missiles to targets in Russia, Russia developed a system, named Volna Kupol Garant, to temporarily block Starlink communications. It uses high-powered transmissions that overload the Starlink receiver system, preventing it from receiving signals. Transmissions do not damage Starlink satellites, although they may take several minutes to recover after the jamming transmission is discontinued. The system was announced in August 2026. Sources vary on the size of the jamming zone, one suggesting 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi) and another a radius of 20 km (12 mi) (1,260 km2; 490 sq mi).
Russo-Ukrainian war
Starlink was activated during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, after a request from the Ukrainian government. Ukraine's military and government rapidly became dependent on Starlink to maintain Internet access. Starlink is used by Ukraine for communication, such as keeping in touch with the outside world and keeping the energy infrastructure working. The service is also notably used for warfare. Starlink is used for connecting combat drones, naval drones, artillery fire coordination systems and attacks on Russian positions. SpaceX has expressed reservations about the offensive use of Starlink by Ukraine beyond military communications and restricted Starlink communication technology for military use on weapon systems, but has kept most of the service online. Its use in attacking Russian targets has been criticized by the Kremlin. Musk has warned that the service was costing $20 million per month, and a Ukrainian official estimated SpaceX's contributions as over $100 million. In June 2023, the United States Department of Defense signed a contract with SpaceX to finance Starlink use in Ukraine.
Gaza war In October 2023 after the Gaza war started, users shared the hashtag #starlinkforgaza on Elon Musk's social network X (formerly Twitter), demanding he activate Starlink in Gaza after Internet service in the region was lost. Musk answered that Starlink connectivity would be provided for aid groups in Gaza. At the end of November, Musk said the Starlink service would only be provided for Gaza with the approval of the government of Israel.
Mali War and War in the Sahel According to the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, jihadist groups such as the Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Islamic State – West Africa Province have been using an illicit supply chain to acquire Starlink devices and bypass regulations on their use. The more secure communication of these devices has made it harder for government forces to intercept the plans of armed groups, allowing them to evade law enforcement and sustain illicit economies. A leader of the Union of Nigeriens for Vigilance and Patriotism, a support group for the Nigerien junta in the Agadez region, noted:
These days, every suspicious vehicle seems to carry one of these Starlink devices. The armed groups near Emi Lulu, the militias Haftar pushed out who are now hiding along the Niger border — they all rely on these devices to stay connected and coordinate their movements. In response, the governments of Niger and Chad have moved to legalize Starlink in hopes of better regulating the technology by requiring registration of the devices. However, these measures are unlikely to stop the supply chain. Starlink has also been adopted by the Azawadi separatist group, Azawad Liberation Front (FLA), as well as the armed forces of Mali. According to an FLA leader in the Tinzaouaten area, the group uses Starlink to coordinate operations, share intelligence, and communicate its narrative. In the Battle of Tinzaouaten (2024), the use of Starlink allowed the FLA to maintain secure communication across its dispersed units and release updates on social media, increasing its visibility to external audiences.
Iran 2026 war During the 2026 Iran conflict, tensions emerged between the United States Department of Defense and SpaceX over the pricing of Starlink services used for military drone operations. SpaceX argued that LUCAS drones were operating under conditions consistent with Starlink's aviation-tier service, while Pentagon officials maintained that the pricing had been intended for aircraft rather than short-duration kamikaze drones.The dispute later resulted in the Pentagon agreeing to higher pricing terms, increasing the communications cost associated with each LUCAS drone. Discussions also expanded to the potential use of Starlink Direct-to-Cell services in Iran during internet shutdowns affecting civilian communications. The Telegraph later reported that Elon Musk accused the Pentagon of violating Starlink's civilian-use agreements by using the network to support armed drone operations during the conflict.
Criminal The Associated Press reported in 2023 that Brazilian organized criminal groups were making heavy use of Starlink in exploiting remote regions of the Amazon rainforest. In February 2025, Wired and the BBC reported that Starlink is a key connectivity option for scam centers in Southeast Asia with "criminals running multi-billion-dollar empires across Southeast Asia appear to be widely using the satellite internet network." Wired identified more than one hundred Starlink devices in use at just one center, KK Park in Myanmar. SpaceX announced in October 2025, that access to at least 2,500 Starlink devices used in Myanmar scamming centers was cut off.
Iran In Iran, Elon Musk personally announced the activation of Starlink in 2022 after the Iranian government blocked the internet to suppress the spread of anti-government protests, enabling citizens to regain uncensored access. These cases illustrate the difficulty governments face in controlling unauthorized satellite communications within their borders. The decentralized and autonomous nature of Starlink's operations presents a growing challenge to national sovereignty and cybersecurity enforcement. Likewise during the internet blackout amidst the 2025–2026 Iranian protests, Starlink was activated in Iran. However, by January 11, the Iranian government reportedly shut down Starlink internet connectivity for the first time. The jamming and shut down led to varying degrees of success, with users occasionally being able to circumvent the censorship amidst the security forces also seizing satellite dishes to block any external access. The State Department had given SpaceX sanctions exemption to enable Starlink services in Iran, and NGOs including Holistic Resilience and ASL19 had assisted in smuggling terminals into Iran. The New York Times reported that the Iranian authorities had used GPS spoofing, causing many of the estimated 50,000 Starlink terminals to not operate.
Passenger Wi-Fi on aircraft Several airlines have retrofitted or announced plans to retrofit aircraft with Starlink terminals to provide in-flight internet access. Airlines have cited its high bandwidth, low latency, and ability to provide connectivity throughout a flight as advantages over previous systems. On April 25, 2022, Hawaiian Airlines announced an agreement with Starlink to provide internet service on its aircraft, becoming the first airline to adopt the system. In September 2024, United Airlines announced plans to equip its entire mainline and regional fleet with Starlink connectivity. The Federal Aviation Administration approved installation of Starlink equipment on United aircraft in March 2025. Qatar Airways began installing Starlink terminals in October 2024. In November 2025, International Airlines Group (IAG) announced it would install Starlink terminals on around 500 aircraft of their fleet (Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Level and Vueling). British Airways was the first IAG airline to fly with Starlink installed in March 2026. Also in November 2025, Emirates followed, announcing installations on all 230 aircraft of their active fleet. In December 2025, Hanjin Group announced a deal to install Starlink terminals on all aircraft of their fleet, consisting of Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Air Busan, Air Seoul and Jin Air. In January 2026, Lufthansa Group announced Starlink would be installed on all around 850 aircraft of their fleet (including Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, Swiss International Air Lines, Air Dolomiti, Edelweiss Air, Eurowings, and Discover Airlines). Other airlines who have announced deals with Starlink include Zipair Tokyo in January 2023, Air France in September 2024, WestJet and Air New Zealand in December 2024, airBaltic in February 2025, SAS in May 2025, Virgin Atlantic in July 2025, Alaska Airlines in August 2025, Air Canada in September 2025, FlyDubai in November 2025, Gulf Air in January 2026, Southwest Airlines in February 2026. Singapore Airlines and American Airlines in May 2026,, Wizz Air and El Al in June 2026, and Frontier Airlines, Cebu Pacific, Volaris, Copa Airlines and JetSmart in July 2026.
Maritime Within the shipping industry, Starlink is recognized as a 'basic welfare for crew members', allowing location-independent access to telecommunications for sailors. Cargo ship lines that have installed Starlink internet on their vessels include Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, Hyundai Glovis, Korea Line, SK Shipping, Pan Ocean and others. In August 2022, SpaceX secured its first contract for services in the passenger shipping industry. Royal Caribbean Group added Starlink internet to its Freedom of the Seas liner, and planned to offer the service on 50 ships under its Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, and Silversea Cruises brands by March 2023. By November 2025, Royal Caribbean reported Starlink was installed on all vessels of its fleet. Carnival Corporation & plc added Starlink in 2024. Viking, Disney Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings added the service in 2023 and MSC Cruises, Virgin Voyages, and TUI Cruises added it in 2024.
Internet availability and regulatory approval
The Starlink network has near-global reach, including the polar caps, broadband services are licensed to be provided in 115 countries as of July 2025. SpaceX also has business operations and economic considerations for U.S. policy which may make a difference in which countries Starlink service is offered, or in which order, and how soon. For example, SpaceX formally requested authorization for Canada only in June 2020, the Canadian regulatory authority approved it in November 2020, and SpaceX rolled out service two months later, in January 2021. By September 2022, Starlink services were on offer in 40 countries, with applications pending regulatory approval in many more.
The ISEDC allowed Canada to become the first foreign country to approve the service with regulatory approval for the Starlink low Earth orbit satellite constellation on November 6, 2020. In May 2022, Starlink entered the Philippine market, the company's first deployment in Asia, because of a landmark legislative change (RA 11659, Public Services Act) about all-foreign allowance of company ownership in regard to utility entities such as Internet and telco companies. Starlink got provisional permission from the country's collection of regulators and soon began commercial services, aimed at regions with lower Internet connectivity. In June 2023, a license to offer Internet services in Zambia was granted to Starlink by the Zambian Government authorities, after the completion of many trial projects throughout the country. In October 2023, Starlink officially went live in Zambia. In July 2023, the Mongolian government issued two licenses to SpaceX to provide Internet access in the country. In July 2023, it was reported by Bloomberg that attempts to sell the service to Taiwan in 2022 fell through when SpaceX insisted on 100% ownership of the Taiwan subsidiary running Starlink in the country. This went against Taiwanese law that required that Internet service providers (ISP) are at least 51% controlled by local companies, an impracticality when dealing with a globe-spanning ISP. Japan's major mobile provider, KDDI, announced a partnership with SpaceX to begin offering in 2022 expanded connectivity for its rural mobile customers via 1,200 remote mobile towers. On April 25, 2022, Hawaiian Airlines announced an agreement with Starlink to provide free Internet access on its aircraft, becoming the first airline to use Starlink. By July 2022, Starlink Internet service was available in 36 countries and 41 markets. In May 2022, it was announced that regulatory approval had been granted for Nigeria, Mozambique, and the Philippines. In the Philippines, commercial availability began on February 22, 2023. In September 2022, trials began at McMurdo Station in Antarctica and from December 2022 on field missions. Antarctica has no ground stations, so polar-orbiting satellites with optical interlinks are used to connect to ground stations in South America, New Zealand, and Australia. In September 2023, the US-based United Against Nuclear Iran started donating subscriptions and terminals to Iranians to allow them to circumvent Iran's Internet blackout. In September 2023, it was reported by some Indian news outlets that Starlink would imminently receive its license to operate in India after Starlink was able to meet all regulatory requirements, but that it would still be required to apply for spectrum allocation in order to provide service. SpaceX had earlier sold 5000 Starlink preorders in India, and in 2021 had announced that Sanjay Bhargava, who had worked with Musk as part of a team that founded electronic payment firm PayPal, would head the tech billionaire entrepreneur's Starlink satellite broadband venture in India. Three months later, Bhargava resigned "for personal reasons" after the Indian government ordered SpaceX to halt selling preorders for Starlink service until SpaceX gained regulatory approval for providing satellite Internet services in the country. In April 2024, it was reported in some Indian news outlets that Starlink had received its "in-principle government approval" and that the approval now "lies at the desk of communications minister Ashwini Vaishnaw". In November 2023, Starlink received the licenses to operate in Fiji. The service was launched in Fiji in May 2024. In April 2024, it was reported that the company would begin trial service in Indonesia in May. Starlink received its license to operate in Indonesia in early May. In May 2024, Starlink service was made available for pre-order in Sri Lanka, pending regulatory approval from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL). In August 2024, Starlink Lanka (Private) Limited was granted a Telecommunications Service Provider License by TRCSL, allowing it to operate satellite Internet services in the country. However, in March 2025, the government placed the rollout on hold due to concerns over the absence of lawful interception provisions in the license, which were required for national security reasons. By June 2, 2025, the Deputy Minister of Technology confirmed that all regulatory conditions had been fulfilled, including the integration of oversight mechanisms, clearing the way for the launch. Starlink officially launched its services in Sri Lanka on July 2, 2025. In April 2025, Starlink licence was approved by National Communication Authority in Somalia. In August 2024, Starlink received the licenses to operate in Yemen. Starlink services will soon be implemented through the corporation's sales points distributed across most governorates. These points will provide a full range of services, including device sales, activation, subscription fee payments, and direct technical support. In April 2025, Houthi rebels in Yemen demanded that residents surrender their Starlink devices. In September 2024, United Airlines announced it would install Starlink services on the airline's entire fleet, including mainland and regional aircraft, as part of a plan to offer free high-speed Wi-Fi to all passengers. In March 2025, the FAA issued final approval for United to begin equipping its aircraft with Starlink antennas. On October 22, 2024, Qatar Airways launched the first Starlink-equipped Boeing 777 flight, flying from Doha to London. As of November 2024, Morocco is set to give regulatory approval to Starlink by 2025. On March 11 and 12, 2025, Indian telecom companies Airtel and Jio have partnered with Starlink to bring satellite Internet to India, aiming to improve connectivity in remote areas. However, the service's rollout is dependent on securing necessary government approvals. These partnerships promise to expand broadband access, especially in underserved regions. Although Starlink was officially unavailable in South Africa, it was found in June 2025 that Starlink has been operating unlawfully in South Africa since 2022. It was reported that South Africans have been able to use Starlink's roaming service for nearly two and a half years as a workaround to the lack of official local support. In June 2025 Starlink began notifiying its users of its Roam Unlimited and Global Roaming plans in South Africa that their service had been suspended. Earlier in March 2025, Musk claimed that "St