This is why we keep saying it’s a mistake for our local internet providers to rest on their laurels, thinking Starlink is at capacity in major urban areas and so won’t steal away more subscribers:
Starlink is connecting more than 460K customers across Brazil with high-speed, low-latency internet today.
Thanks to @AnatelGovBR for unanimously approving our second generation constellation license, we’re able to enhance service for existing customers and provide connectivity for even more people across the country, especially in areas where few if any options for broadband existed before
Anatel is Brazil’s national telecommunications regulator (like POTRAZ in Zimbabwe). They approved SpaceX’s request to operate their second-generation (Gen 2) Starlink satellites in Brazil.
The Gen 2 satellites will improve internet performance for people already using Starlink—probably with faster speeds, more stability, or better coverage.
Starlink (SpaceX) is also saying this approval will allow them to expand, especially to rural or underserved regions that had little to no internet access before.
However, the expansion will mean more capacity in urban areas too—something that local internet providers in Zimbabwe will have to remember.
The Gen 2 satellites in question can handle more traffic and offer better coverage, especially in high-demand areas. The exact nightmare scenario that haunts local players.
How many approvals does Starlink need?
You may be wondering why Starlink needed a licence for its Gen 2 satellites in Brazil.
It does seem like once you’re approved to operate, upgrades should just fall under the same license. But here’s why SpaceX still needed separate approval for their Gen 2 satellites in Brazil (and likely other countries too).
Even though Starlink already had a license to operate in Brazil with its Gen 1 satellites, the Gen 2 satellites are different, both technically and operationally:
- Gen 2 uses new frequencies (or different parts of the spectrum).
- It has more powerful antennas and different orbital parameters (some fly lower, for example).
- The satellites can handle more traffic and offer better coverage, especially in high-demand areas.
These changes could interfere with other licensed spectrum users in Brazil, so Anatel had to evaluate the impact on the national spectrum environment.
Every country controls how its airwaves are used within its borders. Even though satellites orbit globally, dishes are on the ground, so SpaceX can’t operate them without local permission.
So, approval to operate Starlink Gen 1 doesn’t automatically grant rights for Gen 2. Even if the satellites are already in orbit, they need ground-level approval to connect to users in that country.
In short, Brazil had to approve SpaceX’s request to use the Gen 2 system in a way that aligns with Brazilian spectrum plans and licensing rules.
Would be a similar process in Zimbabwe
Fortunately for Starlink, the Zimbabwean government is now fully on board with the mission. They see that this satellite internet helps bridge a gap that would otherwise not be filled—i.e., rural connectivity.
The icing on the cake is the competition it provides in urban areas, which has already seen prices drop and new attractive packages introduced.
With this in mind, I don’t foresee Starlink being denied a licence in Zimbabwe to operate Gen 2 satellites, if that hasn’t happened already.
If/when SpaceX wanted to launch Gen 2 in Zimbabwe, POTRAZ might ask along the lines of:
- What frequencies are you using? Are they already in use here?
- Will this interfere with local ISPs, mobile operators, or TV broadcasters?
- What kind of user terminals will be used? Are they safe, certified, and compliant?
- Are you working with a local partner or bypassing the local market?
Approval would then depend on:
- Technical compatibility, and
- Policy considerations, including possibly protectionism to support local ISPs.
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