Russia building satellite internet network to rival Starlink by 2027
Technology
Russia is building its own satellite internet network to rival Elon Musk's Starlink, aiming to roll it out commercially by 2027.
The project was announced by Alexei Shelobkov from Iks Holding at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, with testing set to begin soon.
Russia opts for about 900 satellites
Unlike Starlink's massive fleet of over 10,000 satellites, Russia's system will use about 900 low-orbit satellites.
Bureau 1440 (part of Iks Holding) already launched the first batch of Rassvet satellites in March and plans to scale up over the next few years.
Ukraine used Starlink, Russia banned service
This move comes as satellite internet has played a big role in the Ukraine-Russia conflict: Ukraine has used Starlink for drone operations, while Russia has banned Starlink entirely and fines anyone caught using it.