Elon Musk’s privately held company Starlink is offering free broadband internet service to users in Venezuela after the U.S. attacked the country and captured its President Nicolás Maduro.
The satellite internet provider said in a news release that it is providing free internet service through Feb. 3 as it monitors conditions in Venezuela.
Starlink, a subsidiary of the aerospace company SpaceX, provides internet access via low-earth-orbit satellites.
Starlink said free internet service in Venezuela could help provide connectivity amid the fallout of recent U.S. airstrikes and a ground raid to capture and extradite Maduro for trial in the U.S.
Following the U.S. strike, reports indicate that areas of the country had lost power and internet connectivity.
U.S. President Donald Trump has stated that the U.S. would oversee Venezuela’s transition, though details remain unclear amid concerns over a power vacuum.
Venezuela is not the first conflict zone where Starlink has offered free internet service.
The company did the same thing in Ukraine in 2022 to replace internet and communication networks that were damaged by Russia’s invasion of that country.
Starlink has also been used to bypass government internet censorship and shutdowns in several countries.
In Iran, thousands of users reportedly rely on Starlink to access the internet, defying government restrictions.
Starlink and SpaceX are each private companies and their stocks do not trade on public exchanges.
SpaceX has announced plans to hold an initial public offering (IPO) in 2026.
