Starlink satellite internet service has “mostly recovered” following a major outage that left tens of thousands of users from around the globe without internet access on Thursday for over two hours.
This may be one of the longest recorded outages in Starlink’s operational history. It came shortly after the company revealed a new T-Satellite rollout in partnership with T-Mobile, designed to extend connectivity to remote areas.
Starlink Vice President Michael Nicolls confirmed the partial restoration of services via X.
“Starlink has now mostly recovered from the network outage, which lasted approximately 2.5 hours. The outage was due to failure of key internal software services that operate the core network. We apologize for the temporary disruption in our service; we are deeply committed to providing a highly reliable network, and will fully root cause this issue and ensure it does not occur again,” he said.
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This issue was first flagged by users around the world, through DownDetector, a real-time outage tracking platform. A staggering 65% of users reported they experienced a total blackout, and many complained about being suddenly disconnected without warning.
Nicolls also explained that the outage was due to “failure of key internal software services that operate the core network.”
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also apologized for the outage. “Sorry for the outage. SpaceX will remedy the root cause to ensure it doesn’t happen again,” he said, via X.
This outage comes a day after Starlink and T-Mobile announced the rollout of T-Satellite, a new service that integrates direct-to-cell satellite connectivity, in order to ensure there is internet connectivity even in areas without traditional cell towers. Musk earlier posted that the direct-to-phone network was “growing fast,” however it is not known if this has any connection to the Starlink outage.
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Starlink, developed by SpaceX, is a global satellite-based broadband network designed to deliver high-speed internet access to remote, rural, and underserved regions. It operates across 130 countries. SpaceX has launched more than 8,000 Starlink satellites since 2020, building a uniquely distributed network in low Earth orbit.
Earlier this year, Starlink signed a deal with Bharti Airtel, to bring the satellite network to India. While Musk had reportedly wanted to enter the Indian market–one of the largest in the world–for a while, Starlink’s entry to India has been delayed due to regulatory challenges and opposition from local telecom companies. Airtel stated that its deal with Starlink depends on whether the subsidiary of U.S. aerospace company SpaceX can receive government approval to begin operating in India. Meanwhile, Airtel’s rival Reliance Jio also entered into a similar partnership with Starlink.