Introduction
The deregulation of satellite internet has rapidly transformed connectivity access in Argentina. In less than two years since its official launch in the country, Starlink has established itself as one of the main providers, enabling nearly a million people, particularly in rural and remote areas, to access high-speed internet for the first time.
Starlink’s Rapid Growth in Argentina
This information was highlighted by the Minister of Deregulation and State Transformation, Federico Sturzenegger, during a presentation to the National Network of Researchers in Economics. He presented a service penetration map developed by Darío Genua. According to estimates by APNIC, Elon Musk’s company is now among the six largest internet providers in Argentina, with around 700,000 users, while globally it surpasses 9 million customers.
During his presentation, Sturzenegger emphasized the immediate economic impact. He explained that mining and energy operations became more efficient, tourism expanded, and precision agriculture became viable simply by installing a satellite antenna on machinery. He argued that the rapid adoption showed that previous objections were not due to technical or security issues, but to the defense of regulated rents.
Previous Regulatory Challenges
The minister also criticized the previous scheme, noting that despite being a large and sparsely populated country, satellite internet was prohibited for years. He even mentioned the creation of a state-owned fiber optic company, which required about $7 billion and, in his view, never had real possibilities of covering every rural area.
The turning point came with Decree 70/23, signed by President Javier Milei shortly after taking office, which formally opened the market to satellite internet. “Within weeks, several companies began to operate, especially Starlink. In 2023 there was not a single customer; today, a year and a half later, the change is total,” summarized Sturzenegger.
Other Players in the Market
While Starlink leads the segment, it is not the only player. In Argentina, Orbith also operates, focusing on governments and companies, while DirecTV is advancing with the arrival of Project Kuiper, Amazon’s satellite constellation, which already has 150 satellites in orbit and plans to add another 32 in February.
For the government, the experience of satellite internet has become a case study of the effects of deregulation: a technology blocked for years managed, in a few months, to expand connectivity, stimulate productive activities, and reduce territorial gaps, without the need for additional public subsidies or investments.
Starlink’s Structural Update in Argentina in January 2026
In January 2026, Starlink implemented a structural update to its offer for Argentina, with an immediate impact on the local market. The satellite internet service of SpaceX, Elon Musk’s company, decided to double the capacity of its “Itinerant 50 GB” plan, raising it to 100 GB per month, while keeping the subscription cost unchanged.
This adjustment, which came into full effect in January 2026, represents a paradigm shift in how the company manages its network traffic in a region where the demand for data in rural and remote areas continues to grow. However, the announcement came with an important warning: the flexibility to “buy more gigabytes” disappeared, introducing a much more rigid but predictable network management model.
Conclusion
By raising the floor to 100 GB, Starlink positions its “Mini” service and portable antennas at a sweet spot of productivity: it is sufficient for a month of intensive telework, video calls, and web browsing, although it remains tight for mass entertainment. The decision to keep the price at $63,000 aims to protect the company from the emerging competition of other low-orbit satellite providers and the expansion of 5G terrestrial mobile networks that are beginning to appear in logistics corridors. Doubling the capacity without increasing the cost is an aggressive loyalty maneuver: Starlink knows that once a digital nomad or a logistics company installs its infrastructure, the exit cost is high, and improving the initial value proposition is the best way to prevent customer churn.
