Starlink Relents: Poland's Roam Plan Restriction Lifted

Starlink has rescinded a restriction previously imposed on its Roam plan for customers in Poland. The change occurred shortly after Poland's Deputy Prime Minister, Radosław Sikorski, publicly urged CEO Elon Musk to end what he termed discrimination against Polish users. Sikorski had threatened to re-evaluate a substantial annual payment of $50 million if the issue persisted.

The now-deleted restriction had significantly limited the ability of Polish customers to use the Starlink Roam service outside their home country. Unlike users in other European nations, Polish subscribers faced limitations of up to 30 days for international use, with stricter requirements for cheaper plans and even passport verification for continued service abroad.

Speculation suggests the initial restriction may have been an attempt by SpaceX to prevent Starlink hardware from being repurposed for military use, particularly in the conflict in Ukraine. Reports indicated that brokers in Poland were seeking large numbers of Starlink Mini dishes without subscriptions, ostensibly for military applications, which could violate US export controls.