Musk asserted on X that Ukraine’s entire frontline would collapse without Starlink. Sikorski countered, stating that Poland funds the service in Ukraine and warned that any threat to shut it down would prompt a search for an alternative provider. Rubio dismissed Sikorski’s remarks, urging him to be grateful. Musk went further, calling Sikorski a “small man.” The argument ended after Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk urged allies to treat weaker partners with respect rather than arrogance. Starlink, a SpaceX initiative, has been crucial for Ukraine’s military communications since the Russian invasion in February 2022. The system, used extensively by Ukrainian forces, includes tens of thousands of terminals, with up to 500 purchased by the U.S. Department of Defense in 2023. The exchange began when Musk described Starlink as the "backbone of the Ukrainian army," claiming that without it, Ukraine’s frontline would collapse. Sikorski responded that Poland’s Ministry of Digitization funds the service at an annual cost of approximately $50 million. He also criticized the ethics of threatening a country under attack and warned that Poland would seek alternative providers if SpaceX proved unreliable. Elon Musk and Marco Rubio fight in White House cabinet meeting Rubio refuted Sikorski’s claims, insisting no one had threatened to cut Ukraine off from Starlink. He added that Ukraine would have already lost the war without the system, with Russian forces potentially reaching Poland’s border. Musk then directly insulted Sikorski, stating, “Be quiet, small man. You pay a tiny fraction of the cost. And there is no substitute for Starlink.” Source: BBC

Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam on Tuesday explained why Starlink is invited to Bangladesh, noting that Starlink's arrival in the Bangladesh market means no future government can fully shut down the Internet. "The main reason Elon Musk's Starlink is invited and being launched in Bangladesh is to stop the business of online shutdown forever," he said. Alam said that Sheikh Hasina's "dictatorial" regime disrupted Internet access numerous times over her 16-year rule. "Internet shutdown is a favourite tool of the dictators and autocrats to crack down protests or suppress any major opposition agitations," he said in a message from his verified Facebook page. Dr Yunus invites Elon Musk to visit Bangladesh, launch Starlink But in the process, hundreds of thousands of freelancers were affected, Alam said, adding that some lost their contracts and jobs forever. At least BPO firms, call centres and freelancers will never be hit by any new attempt to stop the net, Alam said. Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has invited top US businessman and Chief Executive Officer of SpaceX Elon Musk to visit Bangladesh and launch Starlink satellite service in the country. In a letter to Musk on February 19, Chief Adviser Dr Yunus told Musk his visit to Bangladesh would allow him to meet Bangladeshi young men and women who will be among the main beneficiaries of this leading technology. CA Dr Yunus, Elon Musk hold talks to bring Starlink to Bangladesh “Let us work together to deliver our mutual vision for a better future,” Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder quoted the Chief Adviser as saying in the letter. “Integrating Starlink’s connectivity into Bangladesh’s infrastructure will have transformational impact, particularly for Bangladesh’s enterprising youths, rural and vulnerable women and remote and underserved communities,” the letter said. The Chief Adviser asked his High Representative, Dr Khalilur Rahman, to coordinate closely with his SpaceX team to ensure completion of the necessary work to make Starlink ready for launch in Bangladesh within the next 90 working days. The Chief Adviser on February 13 held an extensive telephonic discussion with Musk, the founder of SpaceX, Tesla and X, to explore future collaboration and make further progress to introduce Starlink satellite internet service in Bangladesh.  

In today’s interconnected world, access to reliable and high-speed internet has become an essential aspect of modern life. The internet serves as the backbone of communication, information sharing, education, business, and countless other activities that shape our daily routines. However, despite the significant advancements in internet technology over the past few decades, a considerable part of the global population remains underserved or even entirely disconnected from the digital world. This digital divide is particularly evident in rural and remote areas, where traditional internet infrastructure is often impractical or prohibitively expensive to deploy. To address this pressing issue and fulfill the growing necessity for internet services worldwide, innovative solutions have emerged. One of the most ambitious and groundbreaking ventures is Starlink, a satellite internet constellation project spearheaded by SpaceX, the private space exploration company founded by Elon Musk. What is StarLink? Starlink is a project created by SpaceX, a private company led by Elon Musk. They're putting a bunch of satellites up in space to make the internet work better for everyone. These satellites form a "constellation" and help bring the internet to even the remotest places on earth. Officially launched in 2019, the primary goal of Starlink is to provide global internet coverage by deploying a large number of small satellites into low earth orbit (LEO). Read more: How AI Can Improve Education Everything we know about Elon Musk’s Starlink Satellites and Future Internet Plans As of May 2023, Starlink’s operational network encompasses more than 4,000 mass-produced, compact satellites positioned in LEO. These satellites maintain communication with specific ground transceivers. The ambitious project aims to deploy a total of nearly 12,000 satellites, with potential future expansion of up to 42,000 satellites. Notably, SpaceX celebrated reaching a significant milestone by acquiring over 1 million subscribers in December 2022, and within just a few months, that number surged to 1.5 million subscribers as of May 2023. The Starlink Constellation: Size and Ambition The Starlink constellation consists of thousands of satellites orbiting at altitudes between 340 km (210 miles) and 1,200 km (750 miles) above earth’s surface. These satellites work in a cycle to create a network that beams high-speed internet signals down to earth, making it accessible to users with compatible receiving terminals, commonly referred to as user terminals or satellite dishes. Starlink’s internet is different from regular internet because it doesn’t use towers and cables on the ground. Instead, it has satellites that fly much closer to the earth. This closeness makes the internet faster because data doesn’t have to travel as far. It’s like having a shorter distance for messages to go back and forth between you and the satellite. This is really helpful in places that are far away from cities or places where getting good internet is hard. So, Starlink can provide better internet performance, especially in those remote and underserved areas. Read more: Top 10 Humanoid AI Robots in 2023 So Far Beta Testing and Expansion Starlink has conducted multiple phases of beta testing, known as the “Better Than Nothing Beta” program, where users in select regions were invited to test the service and provide feedback. During the beta phase, the system underwent improvements and optimizations based on user experiences. As the beta testing progresses, SpaceX has gradually expanded the coverage area, reaching more users in different parts of the world. The company has been seeking regulatory approvals from various countries to operate its satellite internet service globally. User Terminals (Satellite Dishes) To access the Starlink internet service, users receive a phased-array satellite dish, commonly known as a user terminal or satellite dish. These user terminals are designed to automatically track and connect to passing satellites overhead, making it easy for users to set up and use the service.