SpaceX is facing pressure from Poland's government after informing customers that Poland will be removed from a shared European roaming zone for its Starlink satellite internet service beginning Aug. 17.
Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said he had asked the company to urgently restore equal treatment for Polish users, arguing they should not face conditions tougher than those applied to most other European customers. "Poland is not a second-tier market. Polish customers are not second-tier customers", he wrote on X.
The change affects Starlink Roam packages used for internet access while traveling. Once it takes effect, Polish customers taking a terminal abroad will need to declare their travel and verify their identity documents, requirements that will not apply to users from many other European countries within the same region.
Gawkowski said that if SpaceX points to "local regulatory requirements" to justify the change, it must specify which regulations require different treatment for Poland.
He stressed the shift does not amount to Starlink withdrawing from the Polish market. Some new customers have already been subject to the tighter rules since mid-July; existing users will be affected from Aug. 17.
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Source: Polish Radio, PAP