New SpaceX rule puts Starlink access at risk for millions in Myanmar’s conflict zones

Mizzima

A global SpaceX policy change that took effect on 17 August requires Starlink terminals used outside their registered home country for more than 30 days to be re-registered, relocated, or upgraded to a costlier “Global Priority” plan, conditions nearly every Myanmar-based terminal already meets, since the country has no licensed Starlink service of its own.

Since the Myanmar military seized power in the February 2021 coup, junta forces have repeatedly severed mobile phone and internet access in townships contested by resistance forces, with an estimated 131 townships nationwide experiencing full or partial blackouts, according to Amnesty International.

Starlink has since filled much of that gap, becoming one of the few remaining lifelines for civilians, humanitarian workers, schools and hospitals in areas including Rakhine, Karenni, Kachin, Sagaing, Mandalay and Magway. Because Starlink has never been authorized to operate inside Myanmar, terminals brought into the country are typically registered abroad, commonly in Thailand.