Elon Musk’s Starlink is facing growing competition from China’s state-backed “G60 Starlink” project and Amazon’s Project Kuiper, founded by Jeff Bezos.
Shanghai-based SpaceSail is rapidly expanding its satellite internet services. In November, it signed an agreement to enter Brazil and revealed ongoing negotiations with over 30 countries, according to Reuters.
By January, it had already begun operations in Kazakhstan, according to the Kazakh embassy in Beijing.
Brazil is also in talks with Amazon’s Project Kuiper and Canada’s Telesat for satellite internet services, according to a Brazilian official speaking anonymously. This is the first time these discussions have been reported.
Since 2020, Starlink has launched more satellites into low-Earth orbit (LEO)—below 2,000 km—than all its competitors combined. Operating at this altitude allows for highly efficient data transmission, making Starlink a key provider of high-speed internet for remote areas, maritime operations, and military use.
Beijing views Musk’s dominance in space as a strategic threat and is heavily investing in rival satellite networks while funding military research to track satellite constellations.
This is according to Chinese corporate filings and academic papers, whose details have not been previously reported.
Brazil’s government supports Starlink’s growing competition, aiming to expand high-speed internet to remote areas despite previous clashes with Musk over commerce and politics.
SpaceSail declined to comment when asked by Reuters about its expansion plans.
