If you’re wondering if Starlink works in Ukraine, or even if many people in the country are aware of it, here’s your answer.
According to our colleagues at Teslarati, the SpaceX Starlink internet mobile app received a remarkable 21,000 installs in Ukraine on Sunday. This made it the most popular app in the country on that particular day.
An analytics firm named Sensor Tower has been tracking the software’s downloads from Apple and Google’s online app stores, according to a Wall Street Journal article. App downloads for Starlink internet have been “soaring” in general, according to the story, but it’s especially noticeable in the shattered country in the midst of the Russian invasion.
Many people were skeptical when Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that Starlink internet had been activated in Ukraine and that the requisite terminals were on their way. The initial cargo, which comprised Tesla Powerwall batteries, solar inverters, and other items, arrived in Ukraine in less than 48 hours, and at least one further shipment has arrived since then.
We also learnt that Starlink is supposedly operating well in Ukraine and that officials there have been striving to inform locals about the service and app, both of which are currently available for free.
As of last Sunday, approximately 100,000 Starlink internet mobile app downloads had been made through Ukraine’s Google and Apple online app shops, according to Sensor Tower. While some may argue that the internet and mobile apps aren’t essential during a war, Starlink has already shown to be quite beneficial to many Ukrainians. Furthermore, as the battle continues, reliable internet access may become increasingly important to the Ukrainian government.
Internet access is becoming a problem as a result of widespread power outages and the destruction of many people’s homes. Tesla’s Poweralls can power the Starlink terminals for a while, and possibly indefinitely if they’re connected to a solar system. This is a smart strategy, given the constant risk that Russia may attempt to shut off Ukraine’s internet services and any other forms of communication it can.
Power and internet failures have already been reported across Ukraine, and the situation is only expected to worsen as the Russian assault advances. Elon Musk has spoken with Mykhail Feodorov, Ukraine’s vice prime minister and minister of digital transformation, as well as President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Musk has also given a number of warnings and offered Starlink assistance to the government. More recently, it appears that someone from Tesla and/or SpaceX created a “how-to” video (linked above) to teach people how to use Tesla Powerwalls to keep the Starlink internet service operational.