Starlink traffic skyrocketed in Brazil this year—for better or for worse

SpaceX’s star satellite business is booming everywhere, and so are the threats it brings.

Starlink traffic has more than tripled worldwide this year, according to an analysis of total Cloudflare traffic volumes associated with the service’s autonomous system (AS14593) throughout 2023.

After announcing plans to build broadband satellites in January 2015SpaceX sent its first of the devices into orbit in 2019. Since then, SpaceX’s Starlink high-speed satellite Internet service has “covered several regions previously unserved or underserved by traditional wired or wireless broadband,” communications company Cloudfare wrote in its annual Internet Trends Report yesterday (Dec. 12). “In countries where Starlink received service in 2023, including Kenya, the Philippinesand Zambiawe saw traffic grow rapidly as soon as the service became available.”

But Starlink traffic showed the biggest growth—17.5 times left-in Brazil. By comparison, Starlink traffic increased about 2.5 times in the US.

SpaceX chief Elon Musk received approval to debut in Brazil from the previous Jair Bolsonaro administration. As of last month, Starlink has private customers in 697 out of 772 municipalities in the Legal Amazon—or 90% of them. But for all its services’ benefits to Brazil, such as bringing connections to schools and businesses, authorities are concerned on several accounts, according to a November report by local publication Sumauma.

For one, locals—who have lagged behind in digital literacy compared to their global peers—could see their culture change rapidly and without catch. The report also reveals that illegal miners are exploiting the newfound connection with criminal activity; Along with drug smugglers, loggers and more, the agents send alerts about law enforcement and make remote payments.

In addition, Starlink’s monopoly concentrates sensitive user data in the hands of the company—along with its volatile leader Elon Musk. At one point, Musk reportedly blocked Ukraine’s connectivity at a crucial point in its war with Russia; Musk later decried it Starlink Terms and Conditions, rather than personal motivations. The SpaceX chief also reportedly has influence over the Gaza Strip amid the Israel-Hamas war.

Snapshot: Availability Map

On the way: More competition in the Amazon for Starlink

Although Starlink is currently the undisputed leader in the space, competition will soon be knocking.

Amazon’ Project Kuiperwhich has been in development since 2018, obtained the license to deploy and operate satellites from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in July 2020. launched its first two test satellites this year. It has plans to deploy a constellation of 3,236 satellites and inaugurate the service by the end of next year.

In Brazil, Eutelsat OneWebwhich grew its satellite constellation in 2023, received operating authorization from the federal agency Anatel in July.

SpaceX’s Starlink, by the numbers

More than 5,000: Number of Starlink satellites in orbit, according to a letter the company wrote to the FAA this fall. It is More than half of satellites in space today

42,000: How many satellites SpaceX hopes to have in the Starlink mega-constellation by the end of next year

342 miles: How far above the Earth’s surface is the low Earth orbit (LEO) region. This is where Musk’s SpaceX is deploying Starlink’s network of thousands of satellites to provide global high-speed internet coverage

60+: Countries on all seven continents Starlink is available from September 24

2 million: Starlink subscriber count as of September 24

$9 billion: SpaceX’s expected 2023 revenue, according to Bloomberg

$30 billion: Annual sales potential of satellite internet revenue annually for SpaceX by 2025, as predicted by Musk

$110: Monthly cost of Starlink’s service for US users. It’s almost the same in Brazil at 530 real ($106).

$599: Cost of standard hardware to support connectivity. The kit costs 2,650 reals ($533) in Brazil.

One more thing: Starlink’s IPO

Starlink will launch from SpaceX start its initial public offering (IPO) late next year, as reported last month. But after the report, Musk took to X (formerly Twitter) to dismiss the report as “untrue.” Billionaire investor Ron Baron has pinned down the timeline for Starlink’s IPO around 2027– a prediction that Musk neither confirmed nor denied.