Rodriguez Authorises Starlink to Operate in Venezuela as Satellite Internet Gets the Green Light
CARACAS - Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez has authorised Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, to operate in the country. Reuters reported on October 9 that the authorisation forms part of an agreement with the U.S. firm, according to a Venezuelan government statement issued on Friday. Starlink has continued to expand its global subscriber base, with services for consumer, enterprise, aviation, maritime and government users.
For ordinary Venezuelan users, Starlink's entry matters most where it bypasses the weaknesses of ground networks. Power cuts and thin fixed-broadband coverage are chronic in much of the country, and June's earthquakes further damaged infrastructure in coastal areas; satellite internet's independence from local grids and cables gives it practical value for post-disaster communications and remote access. The government statement did not publish the details users most want - pricing, terminal imports and launch timing.
The authorisation is also a concrete, civilian-facing item in the U.S.-Venezuela thaw. The Rodriguez government has spent the year rebuilding contact with U.S. companies and multilateral bodies, from energy contracts to multilateral financing to satellite communications, lengthening the cooperation list item by item. A permit for Musk's SpaceX is itself a signal of the relationship's temperature.
Chinese residents and businesses in Venezuela feel local internet quality directly: cross-border e-commerce, remote work and calls home all depend on stable connections. If Starlink launches as planned, it may land first in enterprise, mining and disaster-area settings before spreading to households; real-world experience will have to wait for published pricing.
Sources: Compiled from Reuters' Caracas report of October 9, 2026, carried by multiple U.S. outlets.
Related:
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Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 卫星地面站抛物面天线（卫星通信资料图），D. O’Donnell/ESA 摄，CC BY-SA 3.0 igo（Wikimedia Commons）
