Starlink internet enters new countries, faces new competitors

DHAKA - The satellite internet service Starlink is entering South Asian countries in its latest expansion, offering fast internet connections to people left offline but raising concerns about the dominance of a company owned by billionaire Elon Musk.

After launching internet services in Bangladesh last month, Starlink won a licence this week from India's telecom ministry to start operations.

Starlink, the satellite unit of Musk's SpaceX, will still need another licence from India's space regulator, then set up the necessary infrastructure to launch its services, which may take a few months.

The approval process for Starlink to operate in Pakistan is also underway.

Starlink can provide high-speed internet to remote areas that traditional providers cannot reach. But its rapid expansion has been controversial, coinciding with Musk's recent rift with U.S. President Donald Trump after his brief stint as his adviser.

Here is what you need to know about Starlink's growing presence across a wide geography.

Where is Starlink expanding?

Out of the more than 5.5 billion people who are online across the world, Starlink claims more than 5 million users in 125 countries and territories, having doubled its subscriber base in 2024 alone.

Starlink uses low-earth orbit satellites, which travel at low altitudes, to provide internet without the need for a cable connection or towers.

This can provide connections to key services for people in remote areas, such as Zimbabwean villagers accessing healthcare services and tsunami-hit islanders in Tonga.

Musk's ambitions go beyond Earth. The Marslink project, still in early stages, aims to deliver internet connectivity to Earth from its neighbour.

What are the concerns surrounding Starlink?

The fast growth of Starlink's operations has run awry of regulations in several countries and sparked complaints about speed, costs and use in crime and conflicts.

Starlink's bid to enter South Africa, Musk's country of birth, has stalled over equity laws that require international companies to sell or donate a 30% stake in their local operations to historically disadvantaged communities - a rule that drew criticism from Musk and Trump.

In civil war-torn Myanmar, rebel groups reportedly use Starlink, and its devices were seized in neighbouring India in an armed conflict zone and in a drug-smuggling bust.

Criminal gangs have used the portable internet access to traffic people and drugs across borders and commit cyber-scams.

Recent operations by Thai and Myanmar authorities against cyber-scam centres seized more than 80 Starlink satellite dishes, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

How are countries navigating the risks?

After Musk's served as Trump's cost-cutting tsar, the two have engaged in a public spat, with Trump threatening to cut off government contracts to Musk's companies. Musk's SpaceX has been building hundreds of spy satellites for the U.S. military.

Other countries have looked for homegrown alternatives to Starlink.

The Franco-British satellite group Eutelsat offers similar technology as Starlink, but the much smaller company has faced mounting losses and is seeking investors to send its next batch of satellites.

Competition may also come from China, which is investing heavily in satellite internet and plans to launch 43,000 low-earth orbit satellites by 2030.

Shanghai-based SpaceSail plans to enter Brazil, has begun working in Kazakhstan and says it is in talks with more than 30 other countries.

This article was updated on Monday June 9, 2025 at 14:53 GMT to reflect the latest developments in India and the United States.