Starlink (by SpaceX) promises global internet coverage, will North Koreans be able to go online freely?
Starlink is a satellite internet constellation being constructed by SpaceX providing satellite Internet access. The constellation will consist of thousands of mass-produced small satellites in low Earth orbit, working in combination with ground transceivers (wikipedia).
The goal is to provide easy to use internet access around the world, specifically in rural area’s. Right now Starlink is in a beta-phase and it requires you to buy a physical receiver. As per reports, the goal is to eventually offer internet access by solely using your phone (and not require any additional physical set-up).
Typically, internet that is channeled/provided thru physical towers is easy to regulate. Starlink provides coverage directly from a satellite to a mobile phone, and by that; is hard to scramble/block or otherwise manipulate. As such, Starlink might soon offer internet which is hard - if not impossible - to regulate. This raises the question, will people in dictatorship-style countries be able to go online and ‘move/navigate’ freely without government interference?
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