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Starlink says it will not comply with Brazil’s Supreme Court decision

Satellite broadband company dominates Brazilian market and has already requested telecoms telegulator ANATEL to expand network in the country

09/02/2024

Starlink informed Brazil’s telecoms regulator ANATEL that it will not comply with the decision by Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Federal Supreme Court to suspend access to Elon Musk’s social media platform X.

The information was passed informally by the company to the agency’s chief, Carlos Baigorri, as revealed by TV Globo.

ANATEL has initiated a procedure on the 30th to notify internet carriers and shut down the platform.

Starlink offers satellite internet services and, like X, is owned by billionaire Elon Musk. With the platform’s non-compliance with court decisions, Justice Moraes ordered the company’s accounts to be blocked so that the imposed fines could be paid.

According to the president of ANATEL, the company is conditioning the cut-off of access to X on the suspension of the blockade of its accounts. He also stated that the maximum sanction for a telecommunications company, in case of non-compliance with decisions, is the revocation of the license, which would prevent Starlink from operating in Brazil.

Justice Moraes ordered the shutdown of X on Friday. The measure was adopted after the platform began to disregard court decisions and refused to appoint a new legal representative in Brazil.

In May, Starlink reached 42.5% of the market, overtaking Hughesnet, which held 38.1%, according to ANATEL. In June, Starlink had 215,500 customers, mainly in the Amazon region.

*Por Isadora Peron — Brasília

Source: Valor International

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Elon Musk’s Starlink gets greenlight from Brazil’s telecoms regulator

Anatel autoriza Starlink, de Elon Musk, a oferecer internet via satélite no Brasil | Empresas | Valor Econômico

Brazil’s telecoms regulator Anatel greenlighted the request of Starlink, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, to start commercial operation of its satellite system in Brazil.

The company is interested in using the satellite “constellation” project, supported by SpaceX, also founded by the businessman, to start offering broadband internet connection in the country.

During a meeting of Anatel’s command last Friday, director Emmanoel Campelo said that Starlink Brazil Holding has signaled it will launch, in the “medium term,” 4,408 satellites to expand internet availability worldwide.

“It is in the company’s interest to provide broadband access to customers across the Brazilian territory, which will certainly be very opportune for schools, hospitals and other venues located in rural or remote regions,” he said.

Late last year, Communications Minister Fábio Faria released photos on social media of meetings with Mr. Musk and SpaceX executives in Austin, Texas. At the time, the minister said that they discussed a partnership to bring connection to the Amazon rainforest.

Anatel director Vicente Aquino said that the U.S. regulatory body, the FCC, has already authorized Starlink to launch up to 12,000 low-orbit satellites. According to him, the company has plans to put in operation 42,000 satellites in its constellation, ensuring internet coverage around the world.

The satellite exploration right granted to Starlink is valid until March 2027, to operate the service in the ku and ka bands.

At the same meeting, Anatel also approved the right to satellite exploration in Brazil by U.S.-based company Swarm, which will expire in September 2035.

Mr. Campelo said that the company already operates 150 non-geostationary orbit satellites. He said that, in this case, the interest lies in the provision of bidirectional data transmission services for telemetry and telecommand, focused on the Internet of Things.

To release the new foreign satellite exploration rights, the agency had to decide on a process involving OneWeb, also a low orbit satellite operator.

Source: Valor international

https://valorinternational.globo.com/

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