Elon Musk offers free Starlink in Venezuela as old phone towers are restored

Two powerful earthquakes struck Venezuela on Wednesday evening local time, less than a minute apart, leaving vast areas in ruins. Hundreds have died, and nearly 40,000 remain missing, according to Danish broadcaster DR.

President Delcy Rodriguez has declared a state of emergency as rescue workers and aid organizations operate around the clock to locate the missing and provide emergency assistance.

Among the offers of support, tech billionaire Elon Musk has proposed providing free satellite internet to Venezuelans for the next month via his company SpaceX’s Starlink service, a move he has previously extended to Ukraine and Iran.

Tue Kazar-Jakobsen, international director at Save the Children, emphasizes the critical role of communication in disaster zones. Access to internet and phone networks allows aid groups to assess needs, coordinate logistics, and launch responses, while also enabling residents to reconnect with missing family and access vital information.

Local efforts are already underway to restore existing phone towers and power supplies, with internet coverage gradually improving through current networks. Kazar-Jakobsen notes that repairing existing infrastructure is typically faster, more effective, and cheaper than introducing parallel systems.

Journalist Ole Hall, author of two books on Musk, suggests the offer may also serve as a public relations move. “This is something he’s doing now because it generates a lot of positive attention,” Hall said, adding that the publicity may be worth more than the cost of activating Starlink in Venezuela.