Elon Musk’s Starlink announced on Sunday that it will provide free broadband service to Venezuela until February 3, offering essential connectivity as the country faces massive political upheaval following the removal of President Nicolás Maduro by the US.
The service will activate automatically for existing Starlink customers in Venezuela. Active users will see credits applied to their accounts without needing to do anything. Inactive subscribers who paused service or had lapsed due to payment issues can reactivate during this period.
For Venezuelans who already own a Starlink kit, the company has introduced a Roam plan, enabling them to get online immediately without needing any new setup or hardware distribution. Users can simply check their billing section to confirm the credits applied to their accounts.
Starlink is currently focused on providing connectivity to those with existing equipment but is monitoring “evolving conditions and regulatory requirements” to potentially sell local hardware in the future.
In the midst of the political transition, Venezuela’s Supreme Court ordered Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to assume presidential powers, citing a “material and temporary impossibility” for Maduro to perform his duties. The US, led by President Trump, is overseeing the country’s transition, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly in contact with Rodriguez.
Former National Security Advisor John Bolton disclosed that plans to oust Maduro were originally presented to Trump during his first term but never materialized due to challenges in keeping Trump focused on the issue.
Starlink has not confirmed what will happen after February 3 or whether the free service period could be extended, but updates will be shared through official Starlink channels.
