-
Russian citizens and companies could be fined by the state for using SpaceX’s Starlink Internet.
-
Analyst John Byrne told Insider it was easier for Russia to fine citizens rather than Starlink.
-
“Satellite potentially revolves around the table because the government does not control space,” Byrne said.
-
Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
According to local reports, the Russian government may fine individuals or companies for using Starlink Internet developed by the US company SpaceX.
The new law, proposed by Russia’s legislature, the State Duma, is aimed at preventing citizens from accessing the internet via one of Elon Musk’s hundreds of satellites.
Ordinary users can charge between 10,000 and 30,000 rubles ($ 135- $ 405), while legal entities, according to Popular Mechanics, may have to pay up to one million rubles ($ 6,750 to $ 13,500) if they use the Western satellite service.
In response to local reports, Musk tweeted: “We’re just trying to get people to Mars. Help would be greatly appreciated.”
After launching a record 143 satellites into orbit on Sunday, SpaceX is slowly pursuing its goal of orbiting the earth with up to 42,000 Starlink satellites to provide super-fast internet.
So far, the space company 944 working satellites have blown into space using its Falcon 9 reusable rockets.
This takeover of the air poses a threat to authoritarian regimes such as Russia. John Byrne, a services director specializing in telecommunications technology at GlobalData, told Insider it is difficult for Russia to punish the ISP, but “it’s easier to fine your own citizens, or at least threaten to fine them. “
Byrne said a government is capable of controlling the rights to a cellular internet service, adding that it would be easy for China to tell its network operators to ban certain websites through this internet medium.
“Satellite potentially revolves around the table because the government does not control space; as a result, the government has a much harder time regulating the content on satellite,” he said.
That said, governments do have the right to regulate vertical space, for example when planes travel in their designated airspace.
Starlink involves low-earth (LEO) satellites, which operate at a much lower altitude than traditional satellites, but much higher than cellular service. In view of this, the question is whether they will consider being within the sphere of government or not, Byrne said.
Read more: The space industry will grow by more than $ 1 trillion in the next decade, says Bank of America. Here are the 14 stocks that are best positioned to take advantage of the boom.
Russia plans to develop its own satellite Internet constellation called Sfera, which could be launched in 2024, IntelliNews reported in November. The project, which is expected to cost 1.5 billion rubles (about $ 20 billion), is expected to enable the country to monitor domestic Internet traffic, Byrne said.
According to Byrne, if Russian citizens use the satellite constellation of Musk, the country could be blocked from monitoring their internet traffic as with mobile services. He added that it could eventually increase tensions between the US and Russia.
Read the original article on Business Insider