During California's devastating 2025 wildfires, Starlink, Tesla, and T-Mobile offered vital emergency connectivity. Their improvised response reveals both the promise of satellite-based disaster aid and the need for formalised coordination with public agencies.
AT&T’s CEO plays down the threat of satellite cellular, citing bandwidth and coverage limits. Yet growing interest in rural and IoT applications suggests the technology could still claim valuable niches in the wireless market.
Low Earth Orbit satellite networks are dismantling traditional IP address allocation models. As signals defy borders, Regional Internet Registries face challenges in geolocation accuracy, routing security, and the definition of digital territory itself.
Starlink expanded to 42 new countries in 2025, added 2.7 million customers, improved network speeds and latency, and continued satellite launches as it nears its first-phase constellation goal of 12,000 satellites.
What began as an emergency response evolved into critical wartime infrastructure. Ukraine's experience with Starlink reveals the strategic risks and benefits of relying on privately operated networks for national resilience and defence.
Despite its promise of universal access, Starlink often fails to meet broadband benchmarks across key markets. New data reveals fluctuating performance and raises questions about reliability, digital equity, and tiered service models.
Starlink dominates the satellite internet race, echoing IBM's past supremacy in computing. But geopolitical divides, advancing rivals, and Elon Musk's controversies suggest its lead will narrow as competitors gain ground in a fragmented global market.
While Starlink dominates the low-Earth orbit internet race, rivals like OneWeb, Telesat, Amazon's Project Kuiper, and Europe's IRIS² are slowly building capacity, buoyed by geopolitical necessity, state support, and commercial partnerships.
Starlink's global reach is distorting conventional IP geolocation, blurring national boundaries and skewing internet usage data. As satellites replace cables, measuring users' precise locations has become an increasingly uncertain and politically charged task.
SES's first multi-orbit partnership was Cruise mPOWERED + Starlink, providing a managed blend of SES MEO and Starlink LEO service for maritime operators, and we can expect similar bundled services in aviation and enterprise markets.