Poland threatens to review $50 million in annual Starlink payments
Warsaw could review its annual $50 million spending on Starlink services after SpaceX abruptly removed Poland from its European roaming zone, Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Aug. 12.
Poland has threatened to reconsider its annual $50 million expenditure on Starlink services following SpaceX's removal of the nation from its European roaming zone, according to Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. In a Twitter post, Sikorski urged SpaceX to cease discriminating against Polish Starlink users or face the possibility of renegotiating the contract.
The European roaming zone, which encompasses over 30 countries, allows customers to utilize Starlink terminals across borders without limitations. However, the removal of Polish users has resulted in additional requirements for Polish travelers with Starlink equipment. Krzysztof Gawkowski, Poland's minister of digital affairs, criticized SpaceX's handling of Polish customers and demanded transparency regarding the regulatory basis for the change.
The restrictions, which came into effect for new Starlink customers on July 14 and are set to apply to existing Polish users on August 17, have been met with criticism from Gawkowski, who emphasized that Poland is not a secondary market and its customers are not secondary customers. SpaceX has yet to provide a response to inquiries regarding the matter.
Additionally, Poland continues to fund over 29,000 Starlink terminals operating in Ukraine, aiding the military's communications, including drone operations, as confirmed by former digital transformation minister Mykhailo Fedorov in February.
Written by urgent.news from New Voice of Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
