Is Elon Musk's "Starlink" doomed to only modest success? (satellite community)

[Yazata]

Starlink has passed 1 million active users

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1604872936976154624

[Yazata]

Until recently, Iran has had religious-morality police that among other things, arrested women who didn't wear hijabs and let their hair show.

Then the religious-police beat a woman they had arrested to death for not wearing a hijab. And demonstrations broke out all over the country, rising to the level of armed insurrections in some places.

Starlink has not officially been activated in Iran because the government has not approved it. But unofficially it has been. Starlink terminals have to be smuggled in and Elon says that there are now ~ 100 Starlink terminals there, providing uncensored communication with the outside world and unrestricted internet access.

And recently, the Iranian government has pulled the religious police off the streets in hopes of tamping down the demonstrations which seem to have scared the regime to death. And some (not all) Iranian women are removing their hijabs! It's now their choice.

That backtracking religious zealotry in the "Islamic Republic" obviously can't all be attributed to 100 Starlink terminals. But hopefully it helped.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1607435700877815808

Scroll up from Elon's post for an Iranian street scene. (It looks like a normal place!)

[RainbowUnicorn]

Until recently, Iran has had religious-morality police that among other things, arrested women who didn't wear hijabs and let their hair show.

Then the religious-police beat a woman they had arrested to death for not wearing a hijab. And demonstrations broke out all over the country, rising to the level of armed insurrections in some places.

Starlink has not officially been activated in Iran because the government has not approved it. But unofficially it has been. Starlink terminals have to be smuggled in and Elon says that there are now ~ 100 Starlink terminals there, providing uncensored communication with the outside world and unrestricted internet access.

And recently, the Iranian government has pulled the religious police off the streets in hopes of tamping down the demonstrations. And Iranian women are removing their hijabs!

That backtracking religious zealotry in the "Islamic Republic" obviously can't all be attributed to 100 Starlink terminals. But hopefully it helped.

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1607435700877815808

if people are caught with a star link terminal they will likely be executed as a spy.

[Yazata]

Starlink service is activated in Nigeria, the first country in Africa to authorize it.

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1620166806722981890

[Yazata]

Starlink service is now available in all of Brazil. Formerly it had only been available in parts of the country.

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1623119475972227072

[Yazata]

Gwynne says that Starlink had "a cash flow positive" quarter in 2022 and "will make money" in 2023.

https://twitter.com/SawyerMerritt/status...0619887618

[Yazata]

Starlink available in Iceland

This completes Scandinavia, I believe

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1623671522819989504

[Yazata]

Starlink is now available in the Philippines

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1628192967935799297

[Yazata]

Starlink is now active in Rwanda.

Apparently the Rwandan government has plans to equip 500 schools with Starlink terminals.

[Image: Fpk6TE7XEAIqvqK?format=jpg&name=small]

[Yazata]

Starlink is now available in Haiti

https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1638692986014900225