Starlink CEO Elon Musk announced that “figures from the Chinese government asked him directly to withhold Starlink access within China. This was revealed in an interview Musk had with Financial times (FT) as reported by The Verge.
Musk told FT that, in the publication’s summary, “Beijing has made clear its disapproval of his recent rollout of Starlink…in Ukraine” and “sought assurances he would not sell Starlink in China.” In alignment with this, Starlink’s service map shows no plans to deploy in China
Though China has over 1 billion people on the Internet, Internet access is tightly controlled in China. Sites like Google’s and social media like Facebook are censored and blocked. Starlink would have offered a very easy way for Chinese people to access the Internet using its satellite technology.
Starlink is is available on all seven continents, including Antartica having achieved this milestone last month with the company testing polar service with a newly deployed user terminal at McMurdo Station.
Starlink provides high-speed, low-latency broadband internet across the globe leveraging advanced satellites and user hardware coupled with its deep experience with both spacecraft and on-orbit operations. Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency service is made possible via the world’s largest constellation of highly advanced satellites operating in a low orbit around the Earth.
It is immediately clear if elon Musk agreed to China’s request as he is a proponent of free speech. The billionaire activated Starlink in Iran recently amid widespread protests over the death of a 22-year-old woman named Mahsa Amini.
