Starlink arrives LATAM
In Latin America, Starlink’s expansion began a couple of years ago with the arrival of the drip service and with few providers in countries like Chile (2021), but it was not until 2023 that the satellite internet company is expanding throughout the world. continent. Proof of this is its recent arrival in Mexico, where, through the Mercado Libre e-commerce platform, the company also began to market its services and antennas, becoming the company’s first authorized supplier on the entire continent.
This move definitively expands Starlink’s presence in Latin America, joining eight other Latin American countries, including the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Guatemala, Panama and El Salvador, where Starlink offers only its services as an internet provider.
Despite the great potential to reduce the digital divide in the region, Starlink also faces criticism related to long-term sustainability and space pollution. There are also regulatory hurdles and the service is still relatively expensive for the average citizen in many Latin American countries.
Financially, the company aims to make Starlink profitable by the end of this year, although failing to meet user projections and the high cost of maintaining the satellite network could be obstacles.
Unlike traditional satellite Internet services, which rely on geostationary satellites, Starlink uses a constellation of small satellites in low Earth orbit. These satellites significantly reduce latency, providing Internet speeds between 50 and 200 Mbps. The technology is revolutionary, especially for remote areas in Latin America, where traditional Internet services are inaccessible or inefficient.
Starlink hopes to close the year with a definitive presence in countries such as Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay, and in 2024 it will reach Bolivia and Argentina. However, for it to be a viable solution in the region, it is crucial to overcome economic disparities, regulatory limitations and long-term sustainability challenges. Only time will tell if Starlink will deliver on its promise of being a game-changer or end up being a technological mirage.