The Ukrainian army experienced a partial internet outage on October 24th after 1,300 Starlink stations were shut down due to lack funding. Reports CNN. The blackout was caused by ongoing talks between SpaceX, the Department of Defense, which continue despite Elon Musk stating that his company will continue to pay the bill for Starlink usage in the country.
Negotiations are in the final stages. A Pentagon official informed the network that everyone knows that we will pay them,” and that the Department of Defense would like to have something in writing “because he might change his mind.”
SpaceX will launch in September I sent a messageTo the Pentagon requesting payment of expenses relating to Ukraine’s use of Starlink Internet Service. On October 15After public outcry Musk appeared to backtrack on his decision to seek US assistance. Musk later tweeted, “To hell…we will keep funding the Ukrainian government for nothing.” Says Financial Times The company will continue to do so “indefinitely”.
According to CNNLast month’s power outages proved to be a “big problem”, according to the Ukrainian military. The country bought 1,300 terminals from a British firm in March. SpaceX charged Ukraine $2,500 per month for each unit to be kept running. The country was eventually unable to pay the $3.25million monthly bill and requested financial assistance from British Ministry of Defense. After much discussion, they agreed to prioritise other military expenditures.
A British official stated that the British were supporting “a number of stations that are directly tactically beneficial to the Ukrainian army in resisting the Russian invasion.” CNN. “We are reviewing all new requests and prioritizing those that have the greatest impact on Ukraine’s defense against Putin’s unfortunate invasion.”
It is not clear if the Pentagon will have greater oversight of the Starlink service in Ukraine if SpaceX and the US Department of Defense sign an agreement. The company is currently deciding on the location of the stations for Ukrainian forces.
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