Elon Musk’s SpaceX has reversed plans to exclude Poland from Starlink’s Europe roaming zone after protests from Warsaw, the country’s digital affairs minister said Thursday.
It was intended that from next Monday onwards, Polish users would have to notify Starlink whenever they travelled outside the country, including elsewhere in Europe, and pay a more expensive subscription after 30 days abroad.
Customers elsewhere in Europe are subject to such requirements only when travelling outside Starlink’s Europe roaming zone.
“SpaceX has responded to my request and will not treat Polish customers worse than those in other European countries,” minister Krzysztof Gawkowski wrote on X.
“Polish customers will not be subject to any new restrictions,” the minister added.
Gawkowski had condemned the requirement initially imposed by Starlink on Polish customers to submit a “travel declaration” to the company, including a copy of their passport or another photo ID, for every trip.
“I have called on SpaceX to urgently restore fair competitive conditions for the company’s Polish customers,” Gawkowski said.
Starlink did not explain why Poland was initially excluded from its Europe roaming region under policy changes set to take effect on August 17, but Polish officials suggested it could be linked to Poland’s support for Ukraine.
An EU and NATO member state bordering both Russia and Ukraine, Poland is one of Kyiv’s most vocal allies and has spent millions to provide Starlink terminals and subscriptions to Ukrainian forces.
Last year, Warsaw said it had allocated 77 million euros ($88 million) to purchase 24,560 terminals and cover subscription fees in Ukraine for these devices, as well as for another 5,150 terminals provided by other entities.