BT freezes talks with Starlink and Musk after Ukraine controversy
Telecoms giant BT has confirmed that it will not launch its partnership with Elon Musk’s Starlink until the ‘noise dies down’ over controversial disruptions in the satellite provider’s service which hindered Ukraine’s military efforts against Russia.
Speaking to the Financial Times, BT Chief Executive Allison Kirkby said the service was ready to launch, but had been put on ice after Musk’s interventions in Ukraine.
“We will only launch it proactively when we feel the noise has died down a little bit on Elon Musk and Starlink as a result of the Ukraine thing,” she said.
Musk has previously indicated that Starshield, the Pentagon’s version of Starlink, was owned and operated by the US government and that he had no control over its actions.
Virgin Media O2 already has an existing relationship with Starlink, so Musk’s actions will rankle those at BT who are wanting to launch a similar service.
Competitor advantage
In February, Virgin Media O2 launched its O2 Satellite service, a new satellite-to-mobile service powered by Starlink Direct to Cell.
This makes Virgin Media O2 the first operator in the UK and Europe to launch satellite powered data services, enabling customers to stay connected in areas with no traditional mobile coverage, known as ‘not-spots’.
The service boosts Virgin Media O2’s UK landmass coverage from 89% to 95%, delivering a coverage uplift equivalent to an area around two thirds the size of Wales.
O2 Satellite has been designed to complement O2’s existing mobile network and customers will connect automatically when traditional cellular coverage is unavailable.
This will help people stay connected when travelling or taking part in activities such as hiking, climbing, water sports and sailing, offering greater peace of mind in rural, coastal and other remote locations.
As well as extending coverage into not-spots, O2 Satellite provides more resilience and acts as a back-up, helping customers retain connectivity in the rare event of a local cellular network outage where coverage is completely unavailable.
