SpaceX Restores Poland to Starlink Europe Roaming Zone

WARSAW: (News Desk) –  SpaceX has reversed plans to remove Poland from Starlink’s Europe roaming zone following objections from the Polish government, Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said Thursday.

The company had planned to introduce new conditions for Polish Starlink customers from August 17. Under the proposed rules, users travelling outside Poland, including to other European countries, would have been required to notify Starlink and could have faced a higher subscription fee after spending 30 days abroad.

Starlink customers in other European countries are generally covered by the company’s Europe roaming zone and face such requirements only when travelling beyond that region.

“SpaceX has responded to my request and will not treat Polish customers worse than those in other European countries,” Gawkowski said in a post on X. He added that Polish customers would not face the planned restrictions.

The minister had earlier criticized Starlink’s proposed requirement for Polish customers to submit a travel declaration for each trip, including a copy of a passport or other photographic identification.

Gawkowski said he had urged SpaceX to restore equal conditions for Polish customers, describing the proposed policy as unfair.

SpaceX has not publicly explained why Poland was initially set to be excluded from its European roaming area under the policy changes. Polish officials, however, indicated that Warsaw’s strong backing for Ukraine could have been a factor.

Poland, a member of both the European Union and NATO, shares borders with Russia and Ukraine and has emerged as one of Kyiv’s strongest supporters since Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Warsaw has also played a major role in supporting Ukraine’s use of Starlink communications. Last year, the Polish government said it had allocated €77 million to purchase 24,560 Starlink terminals and fund subscriptions for their use in Ukraine. The funding also covered subscriptions for 5,150 additional terminals supplied by other organizations.

The reversal means Polish Starlink customers will continue to receive the same European roaming treatment as customers in other countries covered by the region.