Israel’s Ministry of Finance and Communications said it is exploring the possibility of using Starlink satellite communications to maintain the country’s internet connection in the event of potential disruptions or power outages caused by a war. They are considering using SpaceX services to provide a stable flow of data to government agencies during emergencies.
“The ambition is that every emergency management office in a government office will have Starlink backup to ensure functional continuity in an emergency,” a source with access to the details told Israeli publication, Calcalist.
Israeli Minister of Communications, Shlomo Karhi, signed a license to operate Starlink services in the country last winter. In parallel, Israel allowed Starlink to operate in the Gaza Strip for organizations providing humanitarian aid.
The government’s reinforcement of Starlink comes amid concerns about damage to the power grid during a war. The internet service has already demonstrated its extreme usefulness and resilience during Russia’s war against Ukraine. This adds confidence that Starlink will cope with complex tasks if necessary.
According to scenarios developed by the National Emergency Management Authority (NEMA) and electricity company Noga, damage to electricity generation and transmission facilities could lead to power outages across large areas of the country. If power outages last more than two hours, cellular network relay stations may fail. To be on the safe side, the Ministry of Communications allocated about 40 million shekels to cell phone companies to extend the reservation of these stations in the northern region from two to three hours to about 12 hours.
