Starlink providing free coverage in Venezuela for the next month

Details: James Barton; Category: Satellite Networks; 05 January 2026; 3549 views

Starlink will offer free broadband services in Venezuela until 3^rd February following the US airstrikes on Caracas which led to the arrest of the country’s former leader Nicolas Maduro.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the satellite provider – which is owned by Elon Musk – said that it would top up both active and inactive accounts with free service credits, enabling even users who have suspended their contracts to access connectivity free of charge.

Reuters reports that since the US military action on 3^rd January, Caracas and its neighbouring states have experienced scattered outages of both power and internet connectivity.

Venezuela is listed on Starlink’s website under “coming soon”, indicating that the provider has not officially launched services in the market. The company’s statement clarified that any users with current Starlink hardware can use a roaming plan to access connectivity, but did not indicate when the service would be made available for purchase in Venezuela.

Speaking to CNBC, Marko Papic, Global GeoMacro Strategist at BCA Research, said: “Starlink allows internet to be provided by non-state companies in authoritarian regimes”, adding that it was “highly likely” that the service would continue to be deployed free of charge in this way if the US took further military action in countries where it has “an antagonistic relationship with the regime.”

Starlink has been deployed in conflict zones in the past; in Ukraine, the service has been used to provide connectivity in lieu of networks damaged during Russia’s 2022 invasion and the ensuing war.

While the service was largely well-received, concerns arose over the level of influence afforded to a private company in the circumstances, prompting an eventual US investigation into “serious national liability issues” after Musk refused a request by Ukraine to activate coverage over Russia-held Crimea. However, in 2023 the US Department of Defence signed a deal with SpaceX that brough Starlink’s operations in Ukraine under its formal auspices.