The satellite Internet service provider, Starlink, is established in the Amazon, where it equips the vast majority of cities. Problem: this technological breakthrough helps the development of criminal activities.
Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite revolution which is spreading all over the world, dominates the Brazilian Amazon with antennas deployed in 90% of towns and villages. Although the antenna itself provides connectivity that is now essential in isolated areas, the presence of Starlink raises concerns about national sovereignty, and worries the population and the authorities in that it leads to and reinforces certain illegal activities on site, revealing a controversial side of the technological advance it represents.
Between broken promises and dependence on Starlink
Launched in 2022, Starlink is becoming the leading fixed satellite broadband provider in the Amazon. The provision of the service mainly benefits remote regions, where traditional infrastructure is absent. But its rapid expansion (697 of 772 municipalities are already equipped with it) raises questions about national security and its use in illegal activities, according to the national telecoms agency and Brazilian authorities.
In 2019, Elon Musk, during a controversial meeting with former President Jair Bolsonaro, promised access to Starlink for 19,000 disconnected schools in the Amazon. According to the current Ministry of Education, the promise has not been kept. The expansion is therefore not entirely optimal, and it is sad to see that certain criminals can take advantage of it.
With Starlink, Elon Musk has created a vast constellation of more than 5,000 satellites, enabling quality Internet connection in these isolated regions. But questions about national security arise when private companies control crucial communications systems. France did not fail to emphasize this very recently, accusing Starlink of not respecting its legal obligations in terms of judicial and security interceptions. Questions of sovereignty also arise, with the example of dependence on all levels of Ukraine.
Mining and criminal controversies spoil Elon Musk’s antenna technology
According to the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), Starlink antennas have become common in illegal mining sites. Images showing these antennas installed next to weapons, ammunition and gold collected during police operations were able to be consulted by our colleagues from the BBC. Since the start of the year, 32 antenna seizures have been carried out as part of operations to combat illegal mining.
Access to the Starlink network facilitates the work of miners, but also that of drug and timber traffickers in the region. Before high-speed satellite Internet, the only means of communicating in certain areas was radio, with its known limitations. “ Now they do everything through WhatsApp “, deplores a police employee, almost helpless.
What we therefore see in the Amazon is that this idea of digital inclusion thanks to Starlink only benefits, with a few exceptions, those who have the means. In Brazil, monthly Starlink fees start at 35 euros. Installation costs are set around 270 euros, but resellers can charge up to 1,000 euros in more remote areas. Colossal amounts in these areas where incomes are much lower than in the rest of the country.
If the rise of Starlink in the Brazilian Amazon offers real connectivity opportunities, controversies over national security, illegal activities and broken promises darken the picture a little. Let us therefore hope that this formidable potential technological contribution does not turn into yet another disillusionment.
Source : BBC
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