Ukraine received a shipment of Starlink terminals on Monday, less than 48 hours after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that the service had been enabled in Ukraine to help with internet outages caused by Russia’s invasion and hacking.
On Monday evening, about 10:00 p.m. in Ukraine, Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov tweeted a photo of a truckload of Starlink terminals, confirming that they had arrived.
Musk said, “You are most welcome.”
After Fedorov reached out to Musk on Twitter on Saturday, Musk stated Starlink was operational in Ukraine and that terminals were on their way.
Starlink was running in Ukraine on Monday evening, according to Oleg Kutkov, a Kyiv-based engineer, with download speeds of 137 megabits per second.
About 2,000 Starlink satellites have been deployed into low-earth orbit by SpaceX, which deliver high-speed internet via connecting with user terminals on the ground, such as those received by Ukraine on Monday.
According to internet monitor NetBlocks, Ukraine experienced frequent internet outages last week as Russian forces invaded from the north, south, and east.
Because Starlink does not rely on standard ground internet infrastructure, it is theoretically an excellent service for usage in war zones, disaster zones, and other difficult-to-reach locations.
After a volcano erupted last month, cutting off Tonga’s south Pacific islands, SpaceX offered complimentary Starlink terminals while an undersea cable was restored.
Starlink’s basic service costs $99 per month, and its premium version will cost $500 per month when it launches later this year.