Venezuela allows Starlink to operate in the country — NDTV

In Venezuela, the National Telecommunications Commission, Conatel, issued seven licenses to SpaceX's Venezuelan subsidiary, allowing the Starlink satellite internet service to operate throughout the country. According to NDTV, this decision formally lifts the ban on the service's operations imposed during the presidency of Nicolás Maduro.

Access before official authorization

Before official authorization, Starlink was already used by approximately 3.6% of internet users in Venezuela, according to data from the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre, APNIC.

In 2024, Venezuelan authorities detained people who sold Starlink antennas following Maduro's disputed re-election. Before his capture during a U.S. military operation in January, Maduro criticized Elon Musk and ran a campaign portraying the entrepreneur as a demonic figure. Musk's social platform X was also banned in the country.

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Free access and sanctions

Following Maduro's capture in January 2026, Musk announced that Starlink would be free for Venezuelan users for one month. The service also restored free access after the double earthquake on June 24 in northern Venezuela to support recovery efforts in La Guaira, which suffered the greatest destruction.

Andrés Aspurua, director of the non-governmental organization VE Sin Filtro, stated that U.S. sanctions against Venezuela had previously also hindered Starlink's operations in the country. According to him, after Maduro's fall, Starlink executives began operating more openly in Venezuela, but local regulatory restrictions remained in force.