Traffic from Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites has been raised by tripled this year, says new report

According to a report by Cloudflare, internet traffic worldwide from Elon Musk's Starlink satellites has nearly tripled this year. In the United States, Starlink traffic grew by over 150% compared to last year.

Brazil experienced an even more significant increase, with traffic surging by more than 1,600% since Starlink's launch in the country last year. Some Starlink customers in Brazil have been illegal mining operations in remote areas of the Amazon, as reported by The Associated Press in March. 

The service's rapid expansion demonstrates Musk's ability to increase his global influence, despite facing various controversies. According to Cloudflare, Starlink's traffic growth exceeded the overall global internet traffic, which only rose by 25%. 

David Belson, Cloudflare's head of data insight, said in an interview that Starlink's availability in more locations will attract even more traffic to its network. Although Cloudflare provided growth figures, Starlink, a division of SpaceX, Musk's rocket company, has not officially confirmed them. 

SpaceX has yet to comment on the numbers. Starlink utilizes a vast network of low-orbit satellites to provide internet service to portable dishes, making it particularly popular in rural areas and some schools. However, satellite internet usage still accounts for a small portion of global internet usage. 

According to SpaceX, Starlink currently has over 2 million active customers and is available in more than 60 countries. However, the rapid expansion of Starlink has raised concerns about Elon Musk's increasing global influence. While some people see Starlink as a groundbreaking advancement in satellite internet technology, others worry about its implications.

Musk's control over Starlink has raised questions about his personal involvement in international conflicts. For instance, he had the power to deny Ukraine internet access during the Russia-Ukraine war, potentially impacting their ability to launch an attack on the Russian navy. Similarly, his influence was also felt during the Israel-Hamas war.

In response to criticism from U.S. senators, Musk, who is the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and the owner of the social media app X, defended his decisions regarding Ukraine. He explained that Starlink's terms of service explicitly forbid its use in offensive military actions, emphasizing that it is a civilian system. Musk addressed these concerns on X in September, saying that Ukraine was requesting something that went against their terms of service. 

The terms of service for Starlink state that it can be utilized during times of crisis, but it is not intended for offensive or defensive military purposes or similar uses. However, SpaceX is developing a military-specific version called Starshield specifically for the US military, which is also a customer of SpaceX's rocket service.

Based on data from Cloudflare, which has access to internet traffic through various widely-used services, Starlink remains the leading provider of satellite internet. Although there were other existing satellite internet services before Starlink, it has been successful in regions that previously had limited or no access to traditional wired or wireless broadband services, as noted by Cloudflare.

On Starlink's website, there is a map displaying many countries, including India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey, and most of Africa, where the service is stated to be launching soon. 

According to Cloudflare's report, Starlink is expected to face competition in the near future. Amazon is currently developing a competing service named Project Kuiper, which aims to launch satellites next year. Additionally, two European companies, Eutelsat and OneWeb, recently merged to create another formidable competitor. 

According to NBC News.