Kyivstar is Europe’s pilot market for Starlink Direct-to-Cell (D2C), beating larger EU operators by at least 12 months in field tests. The rollout is two-phase: OTT messaging and SMS by end-2025, followed by full mobile broadband with voice by Q2 2026. The system is designed to keep phones alive during blackouts and grid outages, providing…
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<li Namibia had about 1.6 million internet users by early 2024, roughly 62% of the population, up from 53% in early 2023. <li The 2012 landing of the West Africa Cable System (WACS) at Swakopmund dramatically expanded international capacity and reduced latency. <li Equiano landed in Namibia in 2022–2023, delivering up to 20 times more…
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On 1 October 2025, T-Mobile and SpaceX will enable third‑party app data for a curated list of apps (WhatsApp, X, Google, Apple, AccuWeather, AllTrails) after the commercial SMS/MMS debut on 23 July 2025. SpaceX has placed more than 650 direct‑to‑cell satellites in orbit, with 657 currently operational forming the initial U.S. mesh. U.S. coverage now…
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On 23 June 2025, Iran’s Ministry of Communications warned that owning or installing a Starlink terminal is a punishable offense and asked the ITU to compel SpaceX to deactivate unauthorized devices inside Iran. Following Israel’s Operation Rising Lion on 13 June, Iran’s internet blackout peaked with connectivity falling by 97 percent. In 2021 Iran filed…
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Iran aims to connect 20 million premises with fiber by the end of 2025 under the National Fiber Optic Plan, but rollout is behind schedule. As of early 2024, Iran had 73.1 million internet users (81.7% penetration) and 146.5 million mobile connections, indicating widespread multi-SIM use. Median download speeds were about 15 Mbps on fixed…
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On 13–14 June 2025 Israeli strikes hit Iranian nuclear and missile sites, driving Iran’s internet speeds below 15% of normal per NetBlocks, and within about 24 hours SpaceX activated Starlink in Iran with Elon Musk posting “The beams are on.” Starlink operates 6,300-plus satellites at roughly 550 km altitude, making Iran unable to sever fiber…
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Until 2017 Palau relied entirely on satellite internet, with only about 25% of the population online. In 2017 Palau lit its first fiber link by connecting a spur into the trans-Pacific SEA-US cable, known as Palau Cable 1, near Guam, financed by a $25 million Asian Development Bank loan. Palau Cable 2 is under construction…
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As of January 2024, 21.82 million Tanzanians used the internet, a penetration rate of 31.9% of the population. By end-2024, active internet subscriptions reached 48 million, up 16% from the previous quarter, driven by multi-device data use. By December 2024, there were 25.6 million mobile broadband subscriptions (3G/4G/5G), while over 22 million users remained on…
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In June 2025, a Chinese team led by Prof. Wu Jian of Peking University of Posts & Telecommunications and Dr. Liu Chao of the Chinese Academy of Sciences down-linked 1 Gbps from a GEO satellite 36,000 km away using a 2 W infrared laser. The coverage framed the feat as pulverizing Starlink, but there is…
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On June 14, 2025, after Israeli strikes, Iran imposed a nationwide internet blackout, and Elon Musk tweeted that Starlink was “The beams are on,” effectively activating Starlink over Iran. The activation made Starlink connectivity available only to users with Starlink terminals, not to the entire Iranian population. Estimates by late 2024 placed roughly 10,000 to…
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