On Thursday, Elon Musk highlighted Starlink’s growing role in disaster resilience after a Caribbean telecom provider announced plans to use SpaceX’s (NASDAQ:SPCX) satellite network to keep mobile services running during hurricanes and major infrastructure failures.
Starlink To Back Up Mobile Networks During Hurricane Season
Musk responded to a post on X about Flow Cayman partnering with Starlink, writing, “Starlink provides backup connectivity to cell towers, ensuring that your phone works when you most need it.”
Flow Cayman said it has signed an agreement with Starlink to provide satellite-based backup connectivity for its mobile network ahead of the peak Atlantic hurricane season.
According to the company, mobile towers already have battery and generator backups to maintain power during storms. The new system is designed to address another major vulnerability: loss of network connectivity when fiber-optic or other terrestrial links are damaged.
“If connection is lost, then connectivity will be failed over to satellite connectivity,” Flow Cayman Country Manager Bruno Delhaise said in an interview with Compass Media Cayman.
The transition will occur automatically, allowing customers to continue using their phones without taking any action, Delhaise said.
How SpaceX’s Starlink Keeps Phones Connected During Disasters
Under the arrangement, Starlink satellites will provide a backup communications pathway between Flow’s network and its cell towers if traditional infrastructure is disrupted.
“Everything happens in the background,” Delhaise said. “They would use their phone seamlessly, and that phone will connect as usual to their mobile connections.”
The company said the service will be provided at no additional cost to customers.
Starlink’s Expanding Role In Emergency Communications
Delhaise said the partnership builds on lessons learned after hurricanes affected telecommunications infrastructure elsewhere in the Caribbean, including Jamaica, where Starlink was used to restore connectivity in impacted areas.
The deployment reflects Starlink’s increasing use as emergency communications infrastructure. In recent years, the satellite internet service has been used to support connectivity in remote healthcare facilities and disaster-hit regions.
In 2024, SpaceX also offered free Starlink internet access to people affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton through the end of the year.
Price Action: Shares of SpaceX closed at $185.00 on Thursday, down 3.56% for the day and fell a further 1.84% to $181.60 in after-hours trading, according to Benzinga Pro.
Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings indicate that SpaceX stock continues to exhibit positive trend over the short, medium and long term.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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