StarLink, the satellite internet service owned by Elon Musk, is operational in Israel, but it does not cover Judea, Samaria, and Gaza.
Instead of using underground telecommunication cables or cellular towers like other services, StarLink launched hundreds of thousands of small satellites into low orbit. Together, the satellites create a network that provides a fast internet connection, even in locations not covered by regular internet providers. Users receive a satellite dish that connects to the satellites and from there to the global internet network.
The service was launched in Israel and neighboring countries a year and a half ago, but it is still not available for residents of Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley. The company's coverage map only shows Israel's borders as they were before the 1967 Six-Day War.
StarLink received authorization to operate in Israel at the beginning of 2024, but its public launch was delayed. Until the official launch, the company's website showed Israel as "not available," except for several terminals at essential institutions and a Gaza hospital.
While most Israelis are connected to the internet with fiber-optic cables or, in the worst case, VDSL, farms and hilltop communities in Judea and Samaria rely on cellular connections, and StarLink could be a significant improvement for areas that are usually cut off from wired communication and sometimes depend on solar energy and batteries for electricity.
According to the Yesha Council's data, as of January 2024, 517 thousand people live in approximately 150 communities in Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley, which do not appear in StarLink's service map. As a result, large cities such as Ariel and Ma'ale Adumim, and even neighborhoods in Jerusalem such as Ramat Shlomo, are not covered by the provider.
In addition, the company prevents the operation of terminals outside its official coverage areas even if there technically is no problem in doing so. The Communications Ministry, in recent years, has stressed the need to deploy communications infrastructure in Judea and Samaria, and therefore, it is bewildering why the ministry allowed StarLink to exclude hundreds of thousands of Israelis.