Venezuela’s national telecom regulator Conatel said Friday it has legally authorized Starlink to operate across the country, granting SpaceX’s local entity a general license and seven Ku-band spectrum concessions.
In a statement published on its site, Conatel said its board approved Habilitación General HGTS-00639 and seven general concessions in the Ku band for SPACEX VZ, S.C.A. The decision authorizes “the provision of Starlink-brand satellite internet service throughout the national territory” under a formal operation with a local domicile and regulatory oversight.
Conatel tied the green light to work that started after a major earthquake on June 24, 2026, which badly damaged terrestrial phone and internet networks in the coastal state of La Guaira. At the time, the regulator gave Starlink temporary permits to test new equipment. Those trials included Direct to Device messaging that carried SMS traffic between Venezuela’s three mobile carriers over Starlink’s satellites, plus Ku-band service under relaxed power-flux limits to meet emergency demand.
After in-person and remote working sessions on Venezuelan telecom rules, SpaceX filed a formal application, Conatel said. Starlink already had a footprint in the country before the permanent license. In early January, the company offered free broadband for a limited window during a period of political upheaval, and the June earthquake trials gave Conatel a live look at how the network performed when terrestrial systems failed.
Conatel did not say when residential or business signups begin, what plans will cost, whether equipment already in the country can activate under the new title, or how the seven Ku-band concessions map to capacity and coverage. SpaceX and Starlink have not posted their own confirmation of commercial launch timing as of Friday afternoon PT.
A temporary disaster permit is one thing. A nationwide license with a local company on the books is another, and Venezuela just crossed that line.
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