Will the conflict threaten the future of Starlinek?
The Muska company dealing with broadband satellite internet Starlink has recorded huge profits since he became the « first friend » of Trump. Numerous countries have limited bureaucracy to approve Starlink this year, some supposedly under pressure from the Trump State Department. In some cases, the state seemed to give Starlink « green light » to please the White House.
Starlink and the global influence of Trump and Musk’s conflict
Vietnam approved the service in February. At the beginning of May, the Democratic Republic of Congo awarded Starlink a license. Later, the same month, South Africa, softened the provisions that required from telecommunications companies to provide 30 % participation in capital to groups that were historically marginalized – which could allow Starlink to start providing the service without meeting the requirement.
Now Musk’s conflict with Trump raises the question of how Starlink will do in future negotiations. Will the countries feel the need to let him in? Will Trump defend the company?
« When trading officials or governments are negotiable, you think about what horses you have to sell. I don’t even know if Starlink is still a horse, » said former director Starlink, who has been anonymous to be able to speak freely.
Since Trump took office, many countries have awarded Starlink licenses, including India on Friday. The State Department reportedly pressed some of these countries, such as Gambia and Cameroon, to approve the service.
Caleb Henry, research director at the Quilta Space consulting company, said that US diplomacy helped the Starlink project to gain popularity in hard to reach places. « Starlink has already gained access to the market in the easiest and intermediate countries. Difficult countries remained. This is where the State Department enters, » he said.
Henry and other telecommunications veterans who talked to DFD said that this is nothing unusual: the State Department often lobby for American companies and in this sense Starlink enjoyed the same support that Boeing or Satellite Iridium and Globalstar satellite companies received in the past.
Blair Levin, a telecommunications expert, who held high positions in the Democrat rule in the Federal Communications Commission, said that he saw an unconventional element in the Department of State Department on Starlink: They are also associated with the White House tariff policy.
Let’s consider the lesotho case. According to « The Washington Post », this inland African country was looking for a way to circumvent 50 %. tariffs announced by Trump. Then in April this year he awarded Starlink a license.
According to the newspaper, the Department of State noted this development of the situation in the internal note:
Due to the fact that the Lesotho government is negotiating a trade agreement with the United States, he hopes that the granting of Starlink’s license is an expression of good will and intention to receive American enterprises
The State Department did not confirm or denied these reports, but stated:
Every patriotic American should want to see the success of an American company on the international arena, especially compared to the compromised Chinese competitors
Starlink and Embassada Lesotho did not immediately answer questions about the report. « The embassies often represent the interests of American companies. This is nothing unusual. But the binding of tariff negotiations with certain companies is very unusual, » Levin said.
An expert for satellite policy Ruth Pritchard-Kelly agreed with this sentence:
I can’t say that I can ever see a country begging the USA so that they don’t do something catastrophic, saying: « Look, we even have a license for the satellite service of your best friend, please do not apply tariffs on us »
What now? If Musk stays on the « side track » in relations with Trump, it can become a global burden for the company, said Pritchard-Kelly:
If Lesotho is actually worried about imposing duties on them by the US, then allying with this technology, which is currently managed by someone who is a non -grat person for Trump, can be a problem
So far, the conflict on the Musk-Trump line has been playing mainly on the internet, and Trump did not realize his threats of the cancellation of Government SpaceX contracts. « But Trump has other buttons that he could press to make life difficult for Musk, » said Pritchard -Kelly. One of them is to withdraw the Starlink license to space in space. « It never happened, but I think that if Trump really wanted to upset Musk, he would say: » I would take a license from you, « she said.
The former executive director of Starlink said that the State Department – and more broadly the government – may also create subtle obstacles to the company, such as slow approval or attachment of less importance to Starlink comments on federal policy. « There are other disadvantages that may meet Starlink or other Muska companies, simply because they are no longer considered favored sons, » said that person.
Tim Farrar satellite analyst believes that in the long run Musk’s conflict with Trump will probably prompt other countries to continue investing in its systems.
On Friday, the leading parliamentarians of the European Parliament wrote to the chairwoman of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, asking it for the allocation of EUR 60 billion to space, including the EU Iris2 satellite communication network.
« There will be people who want Iris2 to move on, using the risk of Musk’s threat, that it will simply withdraw everything out of use, » said Farrar.
But « summer, if at all » before competitive internet services have a puncture power that will allow them to match over 7,000 Starlink satellites. « The State Department must promote US satellite interests over China’s satellite interests. For now, Starlink is the only solution in the city. » Farrar added.
The article was based on the translation of the text from Politico. Its author is Daniella Cheslow
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