Poland threatens to review $50 million in Starlink costs due to rule changes (Updated)
Poland may review nearly $50 million in annual costs for maintaining Starlink terminals for Ukraine. Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski made this demand of Elon Musk after Polish users were excluded from the service's pan-European roaming zone.
Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski called on Elon Musk on social network X to stop discrimination against Polish Starlink users. Otherwise, he said, Warsaw may review nearly $50 million in annual payments for satellite communications services.
Poland pays for the operation of Starlink terminals handed over to Ukraine for military and civilian use. However, Sikorski did not specify whether the funding review could apply to all government contracts with SpaceX or only a part of them.
Poland's Minister of Digitalization Krzysztof Gawkowski joined the criticism of the company. He stated on his X profile that Polish users should not become "second-class customers", and called on SpaceX to explain the reasons for the new restrictions.
What preceded this
Poland was removed from the list of countries in the so-called European Starlink zone. Because of this, Polish accounts will be considered as intended primarily for use within the country, while trips to other European countries will need to be additionally registered.
The new rules already apply to customers who connected after July 14. For other users they will take effect on August 17.
Owners of Polish accounts who use the equipment abroad will have to notify SpaceX of the trip and upload a passport or other identification document with a photo. After prolonged use of the terminal outside Poland, additional verification, a change of the country of registration, or a switch to a more expensive international plan may be required.
The changes could potentially affect private and volunteer terminals with Polish accounts operating in Ukraine in roaming mode. However, this does not mean they will be automatically disconnected: users may be offered to undergo verification or change their subscription plan.
According to media reports, the restrictions are not expected to apply to terminals that the Polish government centrally purchased and transferred to Ukraine. Such equipment is maintained under separate government and corporate contracts.
Poland has transferred tens of thousands of Starlink kits to Ukraine and continues to pay for their operation for the Armed Forces, critical infrastructure facilities, and civilian institutions.
SpaceX has not officially explained why Poland was removed from the European service zone. Among the possible reasons media cite the company's attempt to restrict resale of terminals purchased in Poland and their use outside the country of registration.
