British telecommunications company BT is delaying the launch of a joint service with Starlink because of the controversy surrounding satellite communications disruptions in Ukraine.
According to BT CEO Allison Kirkby, the service is already ready, but the company is waiting for the situation around Elon Musk and Starlink to calm down.
“We are cautious about how Starlink may currently be perceived, given what happened in Ukraine a few weeks ago,” Kirkby said.
What is known about the BT and Starlink partnership
BT announced its partnership with Starlink in November 2025 and planned to launch the service in the second half of 2026.
The company wants to provide satellite internet to customers in areas not reached by its Openreach fiber network, which currently covers about 25 million homes.
In a statement on the evening of November 9, Kirkby clarified that BT plans to launch satellite internet with Starlink “in the coming months.” She also noted that Starlink is significantly ahead of competitors and is interested in the partnership.
The current pause concerns a separate product — home satellite internet for BT and EE customers.
Starlink is also already influencing assessments of internet availability in the UK. According to regulator Ofcom, as of January 2026, 39,000 premises did not have access to a terrestrial connection with speeds of at least 10 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload.
Once affordably priced satellite services were taken into account, about 4,000 such premises remained. The regulator attributed this mainly to the emergence of cheaper satellite plans and specifically noted Starlink’s offerings.
What is known about Starlink restrictions for the Ukrainian military
On the night of October 14, SpaceX limited the operation of terminals for the Starshield military service while they were moving. According to Serhiy Beskrestnov, communications were restricted at speeds above 160 km/h. The Ukrainian military was not warned about the changes, which disrupted a number of missions. This affected the use of communications on long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, interceptor drones, and aircraft.
On October 15, military personnel told AIN that Starshield had resumed operation, but communications remained unstable while moving. One of the sources said that the day before, in some units, it was already dropping out at around 75 km/h, and after restoration it could drop out at speeds above 110 km/h. According to him, before the restrictions the connection had been more stable.
The restrictions applied specifically to Starshield — a service for government and defense customers that uses the Starlink satellite network. Elon Musk said that restrictions on its use are determined by the US military and the US president.
Against this backdrop, Ukraine is looking for other ways to provide communications for combat missions. On November 8, Andriy Shuvalov, head of Serhiy Prytula’s foundation, told AIN that with the foundation’s support an alternative solution is already being tested and a major fundraiser is being prepared to purchase it. This concerns a technology that Ukraine will be able to produce and develop independently.