Ukraine gets Starlink satellite Internet and warning about safety
March 1, 2022, 9:57 am

Ukraine gets Starlink satellite Internet and warning about safety

Satellite communication (File photo; Pixabay)

The Arab News reported, citing Reuters, Ukraine on Monday said it had received donated Starlink satellite Internet terminals from SpaceX, but an Internet security researcher warned these could become Russian targets.

“Starlink — here. Thanks, @elonmusk,” Ukraine’s vice prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, tweeted, days after asking SpaceX’s billionaire chief executive officer Elon Musk for help. Fedorov’s tweet included a picture of the back of a military-looking truck, loaded with terminals.

Musk tweeted back, “You are most welcome.”

The terminals look like home satellite television dishes and can provide relatively fast Internet service, by residential standards, by connecting to a fleet of satellites in low orbit.

But John Scott-Railton, a senior researcher at the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab project, took to Twitter to warn the terminals could become Russian targets.

He tweeted: “Re: @elonmusk’s starlink donation. Good to see. But remember: if #Putin controls the air above #Ukraine, users’ uplink transmissions become beacons ... for airstrikes."

He added in a series of 15 tweets detailing the risks: “#Russia has decades of experience hitting people by targeting their satellite communications."

Elon Musk rejects claims his satellites are taking up too much room in space

Musk said on Saturday that Starlink is available in Ukraine and SpaceX is sending more terminals to the country, whose Internet has been disrupted due to the Russian invasion.

Fedorov thanked Ukraine’s ambassador to the United States for helping to swiftly approve the activation of Starlink in Ukraine.

Tim Farrar, a consultant in satellite communications said that one of the challenges is to install end-user terminals, which require a clear view of the sky to connect to Starlink.

He said that as high-rise buildings can block the service, one has to go to the top of the highest building nearby to set up the antenna, adding “that’s a fairly vulnerable place to be.”

Over 70 Ukrainian soldiers killed after Russian strike on military base in Okhtyrka

He said: “It is not going to be something that can offer a replacement for terrestrial Internet on a large scale."

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Source: arabnews

Greek coast guard finds six drowned people in Lesbos island area Return to the Nuclear Era

BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”