Spanish authorities conducted a search for internet data at a specific operator during a blackout
In a stunning turn of events, Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communication system experienced a whopping 35% surge in connections in Spain and Portugal during an unexpected blackout on April 28, as reported by the Financial Times (FT), citing data from international company Ookla.**
The next day, April 29, the number of users in Spain soared by an impressive 60%, as mobile connectivity was still being restored. Ookla further clarified that this figure indicates "record" use of Starlink by "thousands" of people in the country. However, they declined to provide the exact number of users.
Spain denies any connection between the blackout and the "rare atmospheric phenomenon".
Without a doubt, the increased demand put a strain on Starlink's coverage quality, but the system managed to stay afloat during the blackout, Ookla confirmed. Some ground terminals in Spain might have been temporarily disconnected from service, but internet access remained available in other countries like Italy, as per FT's report. However, it's questionable whether the system could handle similar circumstances for millions of users in the future, considering the necessity of sufficient battery charge on mobile devices for access, the publication points out.
The roots of this extraordinary power outage that struck Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and Andorra in the morning of April 28 are still under investigation.
Back in 2002, Elon Musk founded SpaceX, the company that catapulted Starlink into the stratosphere. Starlink, the cutting-edge satellite system, debuted in 2019 and has been offering high-speed internet access with minimal latency from virtually anywhere in the world ever since. The service is now available across the United States, Canada, Australia, and most European countries.
For the record, Starlink's satellite-based system is theoretically capable of operating during terrestrial grid failures. However, it's subject to data caps and potential speed degradation as its user base expands, as reported by Ookla.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_France–Spain_interconnector_failure[2] https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210430-blackout-in-spain-and-portugal-knocks-out-power-for-hundreds-of-thousands-of-people[3] https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56938021[4] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/apr/29/blackout-in-spain-and-portugal-largest-in-recent-european-history-costa[5] https://news.astro.com/space-tech/starlink-data-cap-musk
- The soaring use of Starlink in Spain continued on April 29, as reported by Ookla, with an additional 60% increase in users, pointing towards record numbers of people utilizing the satellite communication system.
- Starlink, launched by Elon Musk's SpaceX in 2019, has been providing high-speed internet access from anywhere in the world, currently available across multiple continents including Europe and the United States.
- During the unexpected power outage that affected Spain, Portugal, Belgium, and Andorra on April 28, Starlink's satellite-based system managed to stay functional, despite some ground terminals disconnecting from service, according to Ookla.
- Although Starlink has shown potential to operate during terrestrial grid failures, it is subject to data caps and speed degradation as its user base expands, as demonstrated by recent events in Spain, as per Ookla's observations.
- Connectivity and gadget enthusiasts in Andorra may find Starlink to be a valuable resource, as its high-speed satellite internet service can potentially bypass terrestrial infrastructure outages like the one that occurred in Spain and Portugal on April 28.
