The Polish government is demanding that SpaceX provide an explanation and reverse the changes which, from 17 August, are set to make it more difficult for Polish customers to use Starlink Roam abroad. Krzysztof Gawkowski, Minister for Digital Affairs, highlights the additional requirement to register journeys and verify documents. Deputy Minister Dariusz Standerski emphasises that there have been no recent legal changes in Poland that would justify such restrictions.
The date is no coincidence. On 17 August, SpaceX is ending Global Roam for existing customers. Under the new Roam Unlimited model, the service can be used outside one’s ‘home country’ for a maximum of 30 days, and European countries may be treated as a single region. However, according to documentation reported by money.pl, Poland has been excluded from this region. In practice, this means that a Polish customer travelling to Germany, for example, will be treated differently from a user travelling from Germany to the Czech Republic.
The matter is complicated by the fact that the Polish Starlink website continues to advertise the Roam 100 GB plan as one that allows travel across Europe. At the same time, the Travel Registration procedure may require, amongst other things, details from an identity document, a copy of it, and a live photo.
If SpaceX maintains the new rules, for some users this will mean more red tape, restricted mobility and potentially higher costs. The dispute may also increase pressure on the company regarding the transparency of its terms of service.
This has a broader technological dimension. In July, Poland joined the EU’s IRIS² programme, allocating 2.8 billion zlotys to the development of European satellite communications. The system is due to become operational around 2030. The current conflict therefore also highlights the business cost of relying on rules set by a single global operator.
