Ukraine says Starlink still restricted after Trump says limits lifted

Why is Starlink internet so important on the battlefield in Ukraine?

Starlink satellites operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX provide high-speed internet – something modern war relies heavily on.

For Ukraine, it is vital for communications on the battlefield and effective drone warfare.

Using Starlink, Ukrainian drones can stay connected to operators over longer distances than conventional radio networks and are less vulnerable to jamming.

The restriction at 100mph (160km/h) meant that any drone travelling faster than that lost connection and was effectively useless.

“If you cut that off, then more people are going to get killed – and that is a very cynical and callous decision to slow that down the way that has been done.”

Connectivity had been restored by Wednesday evening.

The move has once again shown how Starlink can impact the conflict, which has been raging since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

What are Starlink and Starshield?

Starlink is an internet network that uses satellites in low Earth orbit to provide connectivity, particularly in remote areas and battlefields.

It currently relies on more than 10,000 active satellites, making Starlink the world’s largest satellite constellation.

It is owned by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, and is the company’s biggest revenue driver.

While Starlink is for civilian use, Starshield is its military-grade sister service, designed for the Pentagon.

Starshield relies on the Starlink network, but has greater security like enhanced encryption so that sensitive information can be transmitted without interception.

How does Starlink work on a battlefield?

Put simply, Starlink uses its thousands of satellites to ping high-speed internet back to almost every corner of the globe, using terminals on the ground that users can easily buy and set up themselves. As Musk said, they have two instructions: “point at sky, plug in”.

This makes them ideal for use on the battlefield.

“It’s a connection… that you can basically use pretty fast, you don’t need any special equipment, you don’t need to prepare, you just go to the field and usually it works,” Neo, a soldier with one of Ukraine’s drone reconnaissance units, told the Today programme.