Satellite internet service developed by Elon Musk makes major strides across Ireland, but is being met with protests in regard to Elon Musk’s political stance.
Starlink, the first-of-its-kind satellite internet service developed by Trump ally and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, has been making significant inroads across Ireland.
The growing technology offers high-speed connectivity using a satellite network, making it more easily accessible across areas like rural Ireland than the offerings of many mainstream competitors. This has led to increasing demand for the product in places like West Cork, Kerry, and the West of Ireland.
Mr Musk shared a photo on his social media site
Just last September, Mr Musk shared a photo on his social media site X of a home near Drinagh in West Cork using his Starlink product, where it was able to provide internet speed of more than 400 Mbps in what would otherwise be a broadband black zone.
Currently, Starlink kits are available from the company’s website as well as selected electronic retailers, with the price for a new kit costing €249, with the monthly subscription for residential customers coming in at €50.
Satellite internet service developed by Elon Musk makes major strides across Ireland
Establishing its Irish arm during the pandemic in 2020, the company describes itself as the “world’s first and largest satellite constellation using a low Earth orbit to deliver broadband internet capable of supporting streaming, online gaming, video calls and more,” with its Irish-registered Starlink Internet Services Ltd providing Starlink internet in various countries outside the US.
In its most recent financial statement, Starlink’s Irish arm reported after-tax profit of $6.3m (€6.1m) for the 12 months ending in December 2023, an increase from $2.1m in 2022.
The group’s turnover rose significantly to $358m (€345m), up from just $122m in the previous year, driven by “a substantial increase in sales to both residential and enterprise customers,” it said in the report.
Also in its financial statement, the company said its revenue growth was primarily attributable to product sales, which increased by $80.1m to $144m in 2023, and service revenue, which grew by $155m to $214m in 2023.
Additionally, the company said it introduced a new revenue stream from rental kits, which contributed to the overall growth in service revenue during the year.
Starlink added that the expansion of its customer base was notable across both the residential segment and enterprise customers, including the aviation and maritime sectors, reflecting “strong demand for the company’s products and services in new and existing markets.”
Elon Musk is taking over
However, despite the rising need for high-speed broadband amid an era of remote work and increased digitisation, Starlink may not be the answer to rural Ireland’s problems, with CEO Elon Musk’s recent controversies arising from his new position in Donald Trump’s administration resulting in several step backs for the SpaceX-owned company.
Following US president Trump’s announcement that he would be placing tariffs of 25% tariffs on bordering countries Canada and Mexico, politicians were quick to call out the billionaire businessman, with it being significantly easier to target the CEO’s many companies for punitive measures than the world’s largest economy overall.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said he would rip up a $68m contract with Starlink, while Chrystia Freeland, a Canadian member of parliament seeking to become Prime Minister, told reporters that there should be a 100% tariff on Tesla cars. However, plans for retaliation were paused following Trump’s announcement that he would postpone his punitive tariff measures for one month.
Despite this, Canada’s reaction demonstrates an obvious way to target Mr Trump and his administration in a potential trade war. During the US president’s campaign, Mr Musk donated around $250m for Mr Trump’s re-election, with the SpaceX and Tesla CEO’s cost-cutting efforts at the Department of Government Efficiency continuing apace, despite already threatening multiple crises in his short time as department co-head.
IRIS²
Given Mr Musk’s position, Starlink is unlikely to soar in either Canada or the US, with efforts by the European Union to create and build its own rival to the satellite software also posing threats to the company’s growth on this side of the Atlantic.
At the end of last year, The EU signed a deal for its rival IRIS² constellation of 290 communication satellites that will operate in both medium and low Earth orbit.
The product is set to provide secure high-speed internet and connectivity to governmental users as well as private companies and European citizens, with the EU adding it will “put an end to dead zones in Europe as well as the whole of Africa using the constellation’s North-South orbits through a resilient and ultra-secure space and ground-based system.”