Amid the ongoing crisis in Venezuela, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has announced that SpaceX-owned Starlink will provide free broadband internet services to people of Venezuela until February 3, following the US operation that ousted President Nicolás Maduro.
The announcement came as Venezuela remains gripped by fast-moving political developments. In a post on X, the company said it pledged continued connectivity to Venezuela after reports of a sudden loss of internet connectivity in parts of Caracas on Saturday.
This, it said corresponded to power cuts during the US military operation. Local media also said that there were no internet connections in some parts of the capital.
In the United States, the standard Starlink kit costs $349 (around Rs 30,000), while the smaller Starlink Mini is priced at $599 (about Rs 43,000).
In India, Starlink’s residential plan has a monthly fee of Rs 8,600, with an additional Rs 34,000 for the hardware kit. Meanwhile, the Internet speeds in India are expected to range from 25 Mbps to 220 Mbps, depending on the user’s location and satellite coverage.