Only two days after requesting access to SpaceX‘s satellite internet service, the first Starlink dishes are beginning to arrive in Ukraine.
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister, posted a photo of a truck full of Starlink dishes in his country on Monday. Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, responded with a tweet that said, “You are most welcome.”
Starlink’s arrival in Ukraine was unexpectedly quick. However, SpaceX’s satellite internet system has one benefit over typical internet networks that rely on underground optical fiber lines. Starlink, on the other hand, beams high-speed internet to consumers around the world using a constellation of over 1,500 operational satellites in Earth’s orbit.
Like a solution, even if a fiber-based network is disrupted or damaged, Starlink can still provide high-speed internet to an area of the world. Only the $499 Starlink dish is required by the user. Meanwhile, the country requires access to a Starlink ground station from at least one of its neighbors. And, given that Starlink is currently available in Poland, expanding the service to Ukraine was likely not difficult.
Fedorov tweeted to Musk on Feb. 27th, pleading with him to allow Starlink access in Ukraine, citing the threat of Russian rockets killing civilians in his nation. “Starlink service is now active in Ukraine, More terminals en route.” Musk tweeted around 10 hours later.
Fedorov also shared a photo on Instagram of him setting up a Starlink dish while his rifle rests nearby. “Thank you, Elon Musk, and all of our free Ukraine partners!” He wrote, “We continue to fight on all fronts!”
On Twitter, one user claims that Starlink is working for him in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, which is under siege by Russian forces. “The Dishy was put right outside my window, even without adjustments,” user Oleg Kutkov tweeted. He also included a speed test result, indicating that Starlink was providing him with download speeds of 136Mbps.
