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Satellites 16 June 2025 - 21 June 2025

10,000 Satellites and 5 Million Users: Inside the Satellite Internet Revolution of 2025

10,000 Satellites and 5 Million Users: Inside the Satellite Internet Revolution of 2025

A revolution is underway above our heads. In the past year alone, companies and governments worldwide have turbocharged efforts to beam high-speed internet from space down to Earth. SpaceX’s Starlink constellation has surpassed 8,000 satellites launched since 2019, amassing over 5 million users across 125+ countries reuters.com. In April 2025, Amazon’s Project Kuiper entered the fray by launching its first 27 satellites, kicking off a $10 billion program to rival Starlink reuters.com reuters.com. Not to be left behind, Europe has greenlit a €10.6 billion satellite network to secure “digital sovereignty,” spurred by Starlink’s rapid expansion reuters.com. Even China has begun lofting the first of 13,000 planned “Guowang” satellites to create its own space-based internet space.com space.com. These developments, all hitting headlines in the last 12–18 months, signal an intense new space race for global broadband. Behind the flashy rocket launches are profound implications. Satellite internet is quickly shifting from a niche service of last resort to a cornerstone of global connectivity. In remote villages and rural farmlands, satellite links are bridging the digital divide, bringing online education and telehealth to places once left offline. In war zones and disaster areas, they’re providing lifelines when terrestrial networks fail. And as geopolitical
21 June 2025
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Space Force’s Secret 480-Satellite MILNET: Inside SpaceX’s New Military “Starlink” Revolution

Space Force’s Secret 480-Satellite MILNET: Inside SpaceX’s New Military “Starlink” Revolution

The U.S. Space Force has quietly teamed with SpaceX to create a secretive satellite Internet constellation for the military. Dubbed “MILNET,” this government-owned but SpaceX-operated network will comprise “480-plus” small satellites in low Earth orbit breakingdefense.com. Announced in June 2025, the MILNET contract marks a groundbreaking shift in Pentagon space strategy – harnessing commercial mega-constellation technology to build a secure “space internet” for warfighters breakingdefense.com thecipherbrief.com. Why is the Space Force betting on SpaceX’s tech? What does MILNET entail, and how could it reshape military communications and the global space race? This report dives into the details – from the contract’s scope and industry reaction to strategic implications and comparisons with other networks. In brief, MILNET aims to provide the U.S. military and intelligence community with a fast, resilient broadband satellite network akin to Starlink, but with beefed-up security and government control thecipherbrief.com. It will ultimately integrate with other Defense Department and allied satellites as part of a “hybrid mesh network” spanning commercial and military orbits breakingdefense.com. Below, we explore the contract’s context and content, SpaceX’s role and technology, expert and industry reactions, related secure satcom developments, and the far-reaching consequences for defense and commerce.
21 June 2025
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Zombie Satellite! Defunct NASA Orbiter Emits Blazing Radio Burst After 60 Years

Zombie Satellite Awakens: Defunct 1960s NASA Orbiter Blasts Earth with Mysterious Radio Pulse

Relay 2 is an experimental communications satellite NASA launched on January 21, 1964, as part of the early Relay programen.wikipedia.org. Similar in design to its predecessor Relay 1, this satellite was built by RCA and tasked with relaying television signals and studying Earth’s radiation beltsen.wikipedia.or en.wikipedia.org. After a successful launch atop a Delta B rocket from Cape Canaveral, Relay 2 operated for only a few years. By late 1965, NASA had already stopped routine use of Relay 2 ts2.tech ts2.tech. The satellite’s onboard transmitters then began failing: the first transponder died on November 20, 1966, and the second went silent on June 9, 1967, at which point Relay 2 was considered officially defunct foxweather.com ts2.tech. In total, Relay 2 transmitted data for less than three years before falling mute, effectively becoming a “dead” satellite in orbit. After 1967, Relay 2 spent decades as an inert piece of space hardware orbiting Earth. It circles in an elliptical medium Earth orbit roughly 1,870 km by 7,600 km in altitude en.wikipedia.org ts2.tech. This long-abandoned satellite, weighing about 78 kg at launch, joined the growing population of orbital debris – part of the 3,000+ defunct satellites estimated to be adrift around Earth today foxweather.com
21 June 2025
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France Tightens Grip on Space: Inside the €1.35 Billion Eutelsat Power Play

France Tightens Grip on Space: Inside the €1.35 Billion Eutelsat Power Play

In June 2025 the French government announced a €1.35 billion capital injection into Eutelsat, Europe’s leading satellite operator marketscreener.com. Under the plan, the state will invest €717 million and absorb France’s existing 13.6% stake, boosting its holding to 29.99% marketscreener.com spacenews.com. This deal makes France Eutelsat’s largest shareholder and is explicitly aimed at building a “European satellite champion” to rival U.S. players like Starlink marketscreener.com marketscreener.com. Officials stressed it ensures “sovereign access” to space infrastructure amid geopolitical tensions marketscreener.com defensenews.com. In French Finance Minister Eric Lombard’s words, satellite connectivity is a “strategic issue” for Europe’s digital sovereignty marketscreener.com reuters.com. Eutelsat traces back to 1977, when it was created to operate Europe’s first generation of communications satellites eutelsat.com. Over decades it grew into a global satellite broadcaster and internet provider. By the 1990s Eutelsat had pioneered Europe’s direct-to-home TV and digital broadcast services, expanding its GEO fleet to dozens of satellites. In July 2022 Eutelsat agreed an all-share merger with Britain’s OneWeb reuters.com, and on Sept. 28, 2023 the deal closed to form the new Eutelsat Group reuters.com. At that point Reuters ranked Eutelsat as the world’s third-largest satellite operator by revenue reuters.com.
21 June 2025
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Pentagon’s Space Internet Nightmare: Why the Unified Satellite Network Keeps Stalling

Pentagon’s Space Internet Nightmare: Why the Unified Satellite Network Keeps Stalling

Executive Summary: The Pentagon has long sought a “space internet” – an integrated military satellite network that automatically routes data across U.S., allied, and commercial satellites. This enterprise SATCOM vision promises resilience and high-speed connectivity, but it has been dogged by technical, bureaucratic, and industrial challenges. Recent reporting and studies show that legacy hardware, fragmented standards, supply-chain bottlenecks, and inter-service turf fights have slowed progress. With Congress and watchdogs demanding accountability, U.S. space leaders are now scrambling to modernize ground stations, develop software-defined “hybrid” terminals, and finalize contracts to break the logjam. This report traces the background, goals, key players, and setbacks in the unified satellite-network initiative; compares it to allied and adversary efforts; and assesses what the struggles mean for future warfare and space strategy. The idea of a unified military satellite network dates back years. The U.S. defense community realized that current SATCOM is “linear” and siloed – each branch uses different radios and satellites that cannot interconnect on the fly gao.gov spacenews.com. In practice this means U.S. forces sometimes rely on “bespoke pizza box” terminals – custom hardware racks that link to a single satellite constellation – to talk over space spacenews.com. In a modern war, this
21 June 2025
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Eyes in the Sky: How Earth Observation Is Revolutionizing Disaster Management

Eyes in the Sky: How Earth Observation Is Revolutionizing Disaster Management

Earth Observation refers to the collection of information about Earth’s land, oceans, and atmosphere via remote sensing technologies – primarily satellites, but also drones, aircraft, and ground sensors. In the context of disaster management, EO provides a “big picture” perspective of events as they unfold. This real-time, wide-area view is transforming how we prepare for and respond to natural disasters. By utilizing satellite imagery and other remote sensing data, emergency teams gain unprecedented access to real-time information, enabling faster and more informed decisions on the ground innovationnewsnetwork.com. Such technology sharpens damage assessments and even helps identify vulnerable communities with precision innovationnewsnetwork.com. In a world where climate change is amplifying hazards, EO data has become an indispensable tool to anticipate risks, guide evacuations, target relief, and monitor recovery. A common challenge in past disasters has been delayed or insufficient situational awareness, but EO is closing that gap by delivering timely, actionable intelligence from above weforum.org. Ultimately, these “eyes in the sky” are helping to save lives and reduce the devastating impacts of floods, fires, storms, earthquakes, and other crises. Earth observation technologies are applied across virtually every type of natural disaster. The following sections explore how EO contributes to managing various
21 June 2025
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Solar Tempests & Orbital Guardians: The Secret Life of Space-Weather Satellites

Solar Tempests & Orbital Guardians: The Secret Life of Space-Weather Satellites

Space Weather refers to the changing environmental conditions in space driven by the Sun’s activity – including bursts of solar radiation, charged particles, and magnetic disturbances. Just as terrestrial weather can produce hurricanes or blizzards, our Sun generates “solar tempests” like solar flares, coronal mass ejections, high-speed solar wind streams, and energetic particle storms. These phenomena can trigger disturbances in Earth’s magnetic field and upper atmosphere, collectively known as space weather. Understanding space weather is not just academic – it affects our modern technological society in tangible ways. For example, when a strong CME slams into Earth’s magnetosphere, it can induce currents in power lines and pipelines, potentially knocking out electrical grids. Communications and navigation systems can be disrupted: airline pilots sometimes lose high-frequency radio contact during solar flares, GPS signals can become error-prone, and satellites may experience glitches or even permanent damage. Astronauts traveling beyond Earth’s protective magnetic field face increased radiation risk during solar particle events. Even on the ground, critical infrastructure like aviation and power networks are vulnerable – prompting space-weather forecasts to be taken as seriously as terrestrial weather forecasts in operations. In short, space weather matters because a major solar storm could “wreak havoc” on
20 June 2025
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Inside Israel’s Space Power: Satellites, Services, and the Secret Strength of the Israel Space Agency

Inside Israel’s Space Power: Satellites, Services, and the Secret Strength of the Israel Space Agency

Israel’s space program may be modest in scale, but it has achieved outsized capabilities. In 1988, Israel became the world’s eighth nation to launch its own satellite into orbit nasaspaceflight.com, and today it remains the smallest country to develop indigenous launch vehicles and an operational space agency en.wikipedia.org. What began as a strategic effort to secure independent reconnaissance from space during the 1980s has grown into a multifaceted enterprise spanning civilian communications, scientific research, and commercial services. Leveraging its high-tech prowess, the nation has focused on “miniaturizing the technology” of satellites and innovating cost-effective solutions israel21c.org. Israel’s ambitions are to punch above its weight – positioning itself among the world’s leading spacefaring nations through innovation, niche expertise, and international partnerships space.gov.il space.gov.il. In the process, Israel has transformed its early security-driven space program into a dynamic sector blending government initiatives with the country’s famed startup ingenuity. Established in 1983 by government decision, the Israel Space Agency is the state body that oversees and coordinates Israel’s civilian space activities en.wikipedia.org space.gov.il. It operates under the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology and was founded under the leadership of physicist Yuval Ne’eman to advance Israel’s nascent space program en.wikipedia.org. The ISA’s mandate
20 June 2025
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Inside China’s Space Empire: Satellites, Services, and the Secret Power of CNSA

Inside China’s Space Empire: Satellites, Services, and the Secret Power of CNSA

China’s space program has rapidly transformed into a space empire of global scale, guided by the China National Space Administration. In just a few decades, China went from launching its first satellite in 1970 to operating a fleet of over 1,000 satellites and a fully crewed space station in orbit andrewerickson.com space.com. Today, China conducts one of the world’s most active launch schedules, rivaling or surpassing other space powers with dozens of missions each year en.wikipedia.org. This report dives deep inside China’s space empire – outlining CNSA’s mission and history, surveying Chinese satellite categories and services, detailing launch capabilities, and exploring future plans from the Moon to Mars and beyond. Established in 1993, the China National Space Administration is the government agency responsible for China’s civil space activities and international cooperation en.wikipedia.org. CNSA provides overall policy direction and diplomatic outreach, while actual missions are executed by state-owned enterprises – notably the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation – and by specialized program offices en.wikipedia.org. This structure reflects the unique civil-military blend of China’s space program: civilian agencies handle administration and foreign liaisons, while military branches oversee launch and satellite operations. In fact, until 2024 the People’s Liberation Army Strategic Support
20 June 2025
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Iranian Satellites and Space Agency: Capabilities, Missions, and Strategic Vision

Iranian Satellites and Space Agency: Capabilities, Missions, and Strategic Vision

Iran’s involvement in space activities dates back to the late 1950s, when it became a founding member of the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space in 1958 en.wikipedia.org. Early efforts focused on satellite communications and remote sensing: by 1976, Iran had established a “Remote Sensing Center” with satellite data receiving stations in Mahdasht en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org. After the 1979 revolution, space efforts stalled until the late 1990s when Iran sought partnerships with Russia and China to develop satellite technology warontherocks.com warontherocks.com. The Iranian Space Agency was formally established on 28 February 2004 by parliamentary law, as an organization under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org. ISA was tasked with all peaceful uses of space science and technology, guided by a Supreme Space Council chaired by the President of Iran en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org. In its early years, ISA oversaw Iran’s first satellite launches and laid out a 10-year space development roadmap. However, Iran’s space program faced a slowdown around 2015 due to international pressures – President Rouhani quietly suspended major projects – before being revitalized in 2021 under President Ebrahim Raisi en.wikipedia.org. Raisi reconvened the Supreme Space Council and set ambitious targets, including routine satellite launches to
20 June 2025
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Space Showdown: How Military Satellites Are Shaping the Ukraine‑Russia War

Space Showdown: How Military Satellites Are Shaping the Ukraine‑Russia War

The war in Ukraine is not just being fought on land and in the skies – it’s also being waged in orbit. Since the full-scale invasion in 2022, both sides have leaned heavily on military satellite services for communication, intelligence, navigation, targeting, and early warning. From SpaceX’s Starlink internet constellation keeping Ukrainian forces online to Russian reliance on GLONASS navigation, satellites have become game-changers in modern warfare. Below, we break down the key satellite services deployed by Ukraine, Russia, and their allies, the platforms and players involved, and how space-based technology is influencing the course of the conflict – all backed by publicly documented sources. Robust communication is the nervous system of any modern military, and Ukraine turned to satellite communications to maintain its wartime network. Within days of the invasion, SpaceX sent an initial batch of 5,000 Starlink terminals to Ukraine, providing off-grid high-speed internet via its constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites cetas.turing.ac.uk. By June 2022, that number had tripled to about 15,000 active Starlink terminals, enabling critical command-and-control and keeping civilians online even as Russian strikes knocked out cell towers and power grids cetas.turing.ac.uk cetas.turing.ac.uk. At one point, roughly 58% of global Starlink traffic was coming from Ukraine
20 June 2025
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Top 100 Most Important Operational Satellites in 2025

Top 100 Most Important Operational Satellites in 2025

Satellites play a vital role in modern society, supporting communications, navigation, Earth observation, scientific discovery, and security. This comprehensive report highlights 100 of the most important currently operational satellites across five major categories: Communications, Earth Observation, Navigation/Positioning, Scientific & Exploration, and Military/Intelligence. Each entry includes the satellite’s name, operating organization, purpose and key features, notable impacts, and a relevant quote from an official or expert. Artist’s impression of a NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite in geostationary orbit. TDRS spacecraft relay data between low-Earth-orbit missions and ground stations, enabling near-continuous communications nasa.gov. Communications satellites form the backbone of global telephony, broadcasting, internet, and space network links.
20 June 2025
Satellite Definition: Ultimate Guide from Sputnik to SpaceX and Beyond

Satellite Definition: Ultimate Guide from Sputnik to SpaceX and Beyond

Satellites are the unseen workhorses of modern life. Every time you check the weather, follow GPS directions, or watch live international events, you’re benefiting from satellites orbiting high above. But what exactly are satellites, and how did we go from the humble beginnings of Sputnik in 1957 to today’s SpaceX Starlink mega-constellations? This comprehensive guide will explore what satellites are, retrace the rich history of satellite technology, break down the different kinds of satellites and their uses, explain how these orbiting machines work, and dive into current trends shaping the future of satellites. Along the way, we’ll include insights from space agencies and experts to illuminate the past, present, and future of these “eyes in the sky.” In the broadest sense, a satellite is any object that orbits around a larger object. By that definition, natural satellitesinclude celestial bodies like moons and even planets – for example, Earth is a satellite of the Sun, and the Moon is a satellite of Earth Nasa. Typically, though, when we talk about satellites today, we mean artificial satellites: human-made machines launched into space to orbit Earth or another celestial body Nasa. These artificial satellites come in all shapes and sizes and serve a
20 June 2025
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Sky Spies: The Ultimate Guide to Weather Satellites Tracking Storms, Saving Lives, and Monitoring Climate

Sky Spies: The Ultimate Guide to Weather Satellites Tracking Storms, Saving Lives, and Monitoring Climate

Weather satellites are spacecraft orbiting Earth that continually observe atmospheric conditions from above. They serve as “eyes in the sky” for meteorologists, providing a global view of weather systems that ground observers alone could never achieve. By capturing images and data on clouds, storms, temperature, and more, weather satellites supply crucial inputs for accurate, life-saving forecasts. These orbiting sentinels have revolutionized how we monitor our planet – today, forecasters can spot a hurricane forming days in advance and track its path, issuing early warnings that save lives and property. Before satellites, vast ocean areas and remote regions had no coverage, and dangerous storms like the 1900 Galveston hurricane struck without warning, with catastrophic results. Now, thanks to weather satellites, we can observe nearly every corner of the globe in real time, making modern weather forecasting and climate monitoring possible on a global scale. The era of weather satellites began during the space race. On April 1, 1960, NASA launched TIROS-1, the world’s first successful meteorological satellite. Weighing about 120 kg, TIROS-1 carried simple TV cameras that sent back the first-ever cloud images from orbit, proving the concept of monitoring weather from space. Though it operated only 78 days, TIROS-1 transmitted
19 June 2025
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Spies in the Sky: The Ultimate Guide to Spy Satellites and Their Secrets

Spies in the Sky: The Ultimate Guide to Spy Satellites and Their Secrets

Spy satellites – officially known as reconnaissance satellites – are orbiting spacecraft used by governments to secretly monitor activities on Earth for national security purposes. They serve as high-tech “eyes in the sky,” peering down from space to collect intelligence on foreign military forces, weapons developments, missile launches, and other strategic targets. The primary purpose of a spy satellite is to provide critical surveillance information that would be difficult or impossible to obtain otherwise, all without violating sovereign airspace. In essence, these satellites allow nations to keep watch on each other from the impersonal safety of outer space, offering a constant flow of imagery and data that informs military planning, treaty verification, and threat assessments. By capturing detailed pictures, radar images, or intercepting electronic signals, spy satellites give decision-makers a strategic advantage – uncovering hidden missile sites, tracking troop movements, and alerting leaders to impending dangers. As U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower envisioned in the 1950s, such orbiting sentinels help prevent another “Pearl Harbor” surprise attack by ensuring “no more blind spots” in monitoring adversaries. How Spy Satellites Work: Unlike airborne reconnaissance planes that risk intrusion into enemy airspace, satellites operate from outer space, which is free for all nations to
19 June 2025
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13,000-Year-Old Alien Satellite? Unraveling the Black Knight Conspiracy Theory

13,000-Year-Old Alien Satellite? Unraveling the Black Knight Conspiracy Theory

The Black Knight satellite conspiracy theory alleges that a mysterious object of extraterrestrial origin has been orbiting Earth for thousands of years, monitoring humanity. Over decades, this legend has woven together disparate events – from Nikola Tesla’s early radio experiments to NASA space shuttle photographs – into a single narrative. Despite scientific debunking and official explanations, the Black Knight story refuses to fade, thriving in UFO circles, tabloid media, and internet lore. This report presents a neutral, in-depth look at the Black Knight satellite legend, covering its origins, supposed evidence, notable figures involved, media/pop culture references, and the scientific counterarguments and official explanations that address the claims. The Black Knight myth did not arise all at once; it evolved by retroactively connecting several unrelated incidents across the 20th century. Key milestones in its purported timeline include:
19 June 2025
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Sky Wars: The Satellite Arms Race—Government and Military Satcom Procurement Trends 2025–2035

Sky Wars: The Satellite Arms Race—Government and Military Satcom Procurement Trends 2025–2035

Governments worldwide are entering a “Sky Wars” satellite arms race – a contest to secure robust military satellite communications for the coming decade. From 2025 to 2035, defense agencies are pouring resources into Satcom as warfighters demand resilient, everywhere-connectivity. The Ukraine conflict underscored Satcom’s importance, spurring militaries to accelerate investments. Global government/military Satcom spending is projected to climb steadily, rising from roughly $50 billion in 2024 to $64 billion by 2030 ts2.tech ts2.tech. This surge is driven by unprecedented bandwidth needs for data-heavy systems and fears that adversaries could disrupt communications. The result is a procurement boom – from new state-of-the-art satellites and ground terminals to bulk leasing of commercial bandwidth – all aimed at gaining a strategic edge in secure connectivity. At the same time, the commercial space sector’s boom is reshaping procurement strategies. Traditional military satcom programs are being augmented or even supplanted by agile commercial constellations in low Earth orbit. Governments are increasingly partnering with private satcom providers to tap cutting-edge technology faster and cheaper. The U.S. Department of Defense, for example, is the world’s largest buyer of commercial satellite capacity and is deeply integrating services like SpaceX’s Starlink into military networks ts2.tech ts2.tech. In this report,
18 June 2025
Mind-Blowing: Nearly 15,000 Satellites Are Whizzing Around Earth Right Now—Find Out Why It Matters

Mind-Blowing: Nearly 15,000 Satellites Are Whizzing Around Earth Right Now—Find Out Why It Matters

As of 2025, Earth is encircled by an unprecedented number of artificial satellites. By the end of March 2025, approximately 14,900 total satellites were orbiting the planet. However, not all of these are operational. Roughly 11,000–12,000 of these satellites are active and functioning, while the remainder are inactive or defunct – essentially space junk. This marks a dramatic shift from just a few years ago: historically, defunct satellites outnumbered active ones, but thanks to recent megaconstellation deployments, active satellites now form the majority of objects in orbit classified as “satellites.” For context, an ESA report noted that about 11,000 active payloads are among the ~40,000 tracked objects in orbit. In short, 2025 has seen satellite counts reach record highs, with active spacecraft now far outpacing dead ones. Satellites serve a wide range of purposes. In 2025, the vast majority are used for communications, followed by Earth observation, technology development, navigation, and scientific missions. Table 1 provides an approximate breakdown of satellites by primary mission category:
18 June 2025
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Zimbabwe’s Internet Revolution: From Lagging Signals to Sky-High Satellites

Zimbabwe’s Internet Revolution: From Lagging Signals to Sky-High Satellites

Zimbabwe connected to the internet relatively early, but access was very limited for many years. The first internet service providers emerged in the mid-1990s – Data Control & Systems was established in 1994 and MWEB in 1995 paynow.co.zw chatsports.com. At that time the internet was expensive and largely confined to corporations and elite users. Dial-up connections and rudimentary infrastructure meant very slow speeds and high costs chatsports.com. By the late 1990s, only tens of thousands of Zimbabweans were online. Indeed, internet penetration was just 0.3% of the population in 2000, though it grew to around 15% by 2011 freedomhouse.org freedomhouse.org. Through the 2000s, growth accelerated as cybercafés mushroomed in cities and more people got online despite economic turmoil. The state-owned Post & Telecommunications Corporation initially monopolized the backbone and sold bandwidth to private ISPs paynow.co.zw. The Zimbabwe Internet Service Providers Association counted nearly 30 ISPs by the 2000s, though many were small paynow.co.zw. Major telecom companies like Econet Wireless entered the scene, and by the 2010s mobile phones became the primary on-ramp to the internet for most Zimbabweans. Still, internet access remained a luxury for many until recent years, due to infrastructure and cost barriers.
16 June 2025
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Stock Market Today

  • ASX Seen Lower as Oil Falls on US-Iran Talks; Northern Star Resources Holds to Gold Sales Goal
    July 1, 2026, 9:04 PM EDT. Australian stocks look set to open down Thursday with oil slipping over 1% to the lowest since March after progress in US-Iran talks eased concerns over supply. Northern Star Resources kept its fiscal 2026 gold sales target, giving the mining sector a steadier footing while the broader market weakens. Investors remain cautious, watching commodity moves as geopolitical headlines hit sentiment.
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