Starlink, the satellite internet service of Musk’s private space company, Spacex, has made remarkable advances in South America, expanding to almost every country and bringing high-speed internet to the most remote corners in the region, even the isolated indigenous peoples of the Amazon rainforest.
But when Elon Musk’s Starlink offered Bolivia quick and accessible, transmitted from space, many expected the Andean nation of 12 million inhabitants to celebrate. Instead, Bolivia said “no, thanks.”
The country neighboring Brazil refused to grant him an operating license last year, with experts and authorities citing concerns about his uncontrolled rule where he settled, opting, instead, to rely on the country’s former Chinese satellite.
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Internet Lenta
The decision to reject Starlink intrigued and annoyed Bolivia’s population, where internet speeds are the slowest in South America and hundreds of thousands remain offline. With no internet connection, people often have difficulty studying and do not have access to jobs and quick help during natural disasters.
But by keeping Starlink out, Bolivia joined other nations that began to warn about Spacex and the political influence that Musk can exert by controlling a telecommunications network used by governments, military and people worldwide.
Starlink has also faced obstacles in the Caribbean, Europe and South Africa. “Countries have noticed that they can’t just depend on a party,” said Antoine Grenier, global chief of space at Analysys Mason, a consulting firm in England.
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Just over half of Bolivian homes has broadband internet, compared to 87% in Brazil and 94% in Chile. More than 90% of Bolivians use mobile phones to access the internet, but in rural areas where the signal can be unstable, many cannot connect to the internet.
“Sometimes people need to climb a tree or stone to get a sign,” said Patricia Llanos, a university professor and geographer who often leads teams from field researchers in the Amazon region of Bolivia. “It’s a big problem for us.”
