SpaceX cancels Starlink restrictions for Poland after government protest (Updated)
SpaceX will not introduce new restrictions for Polish Starlink users and will include Poland in the intra-European travel zone of Starlink Roam. This was announced by Polish Minister of Digital Affairs Krzysztof Gawkowski after negotiations with the company.
According to him, SpaceX responded to the demand of the Polish authorities not to put users from Poland in worse conditions compared to customers in other European countries.
"The declaration I received is clear: Poland will be included in the intra-European travel zone of Starlink Roam. Polish customers will not be subject to any new restrictions," Gawkowski said.
The minister added that he now expects the swift implementation of this decision in practice and official notification to customers from SpaceX.
Thus, Polish Starlink accounts should retain the same capabilities to use the service in other European countries as users from countries that are part of the intra-European Starlink Roam zone.
What preceded this
Earlier it became known that Poland was removed from the list of countries in the Europe-wide Starlink zone. This meant that Polish accounts were to be considered primarily as intended for use within the country, and for the operation of terminals abroad, additional travel registration, identity verification, or a change of tariff plan might be required.
The new rules had already begun to take effect for some customers who connected after July 14, and were to become effective for other users on August 17.
The changes provoked a sharp reaction from the Polish authorities. Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski called on Elon Musk to stop discriminating against Polish users and said that Warsaw could reconsider the nearly $50 million in annual expenses for maintaining Starlink.
Gawkowski also joined the criticism of SpaceX, stating that Polish users should not become "second-class customers."
Poland finances the operation of tens of thousands of terminals transferred to Ukraine for military, civilian, and infrastructure needs. At the same time, it was not confirmed that the new Starlink rules would directly apply to terminals centrally purchased by the Polish government for Ukraine, since they are serviced under separate state and corporate contracts.
After appeals from the Polish authorities, SpaceX, according to the Minister of Digital Affairs, agreed to reconsider the decision. If the company implements this promise without additional conditions, Polish Starlink customers will not face the planned restrictions when using the service within Europe.
