“Even they were surprised that we were able to use Starlink like that.” Ukrzaliznytsia tested satellite internet in trains
Satellite Internet from Starlink has been used to restore communication almost since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Elon Musk responded very quickly to the request, after which the country received coverage and the delivery of “plates” began. The State Special Service said that Ukrzaliznytsia managed to test these terminals on its trains.
In the interview to Liga.Tech head of the State Special Forces Yury Shchyhol said that currently 12 thousand terminals are used in Ukraine, which is 20% of their number in Europe. He added that Starlink should be a backup channel, but now it helps Ukrainian operators, providers, and objects of critical infrastructure to establish communication.
Moreover, Ukrzaliznytsia tested such a connection in trains, which surprised even the technical specialists of Starlink itself:
“When after testing we contacted Starlink technical specialists and showed them how it works, even they were surprised that we were able to use Starlink like this. According to technical characteristics, it should not work at such speeds. But it works and provides services”.
If everything goes according to plan, such terminals will start traveling on Ukrzaliznytsia by the end of this year.
Yury Shchyhol also added that Starlink communication services are now free in Ukraine. After the end of the war, of course, there will be tariffs for services, but there are already preliminary agreements with the company that the tariffs will be different from the American and European ones.