Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski threatened US billionaire Elon Musk with the loss of $50 million a year due to Starlink excluding Poland from its communication services in Europe.
“Hey, [Elon Musk], big man, stop discriminating Polish users of Starlink or we might re-think paying you $50 million p.a . for your services,” Sikorski said on X.
SpaceX has included more than 30 countries in the common European region, but not Poland.
According to the new rules, users of standard mobile tariffs can travel outside the country of registration with their equipment for a maximum of 30 days. After that, they need to return to Poland to reset the location counter, switch to a significantly more expensive package, or change the country of registration.
The lack of an official explanation from SpaceX has sparked a wave of speculation in the industry. The most frequently repeated hypothesis is that Poland’s exclusion is related to its role in supporting Ukrainian infrastructure. Between 2022 and 2024, about 25,000 Starlink terminals were purchased in Poland and transported to Ukraine.
SpaceX’s decision is probably aimed at preventing uncontrolled transfer, resale, or unauthorized use of terminals purchased on the Polish market. There is also an opinion linking this change to public disagreements between Musk and Polish politicians over the financing of communications for the Ukrainian armed forces.