Brazil regulator authorizes fresh 7,500 Starlink satellites to operate locally

FILE PHOTO: A Starlink satellite internet system is set up on a miners boat on the Madeira River in Porto Velho, Rondonia state, Brazil, July 4, 2024. REUTERS/Adriano Machado/File Photo

SAO PAULO (Reuters) -Brazil's telecommunications regulator Anatel authorized Elon Musk's SpaceX to add 7,500 new Starlink satellites to operate in the Latin American nation, the watchdog said on Tuesday.

The decision more than doubles the 4,408 Starlink satellites currently allowed by Anatel to operate, according to the statement from the regulator.

SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Anatel said the decision also includes the expansion of frequency bands, adding it decided to maintain the expiration date for SpaceX's authorizations for 2027.

Despite the approval, Anatel also said its members see the need to update Brazil's current regulatory framework, noting there is a gap to deal with market domain, spatial sustainability and digital sovereignty.

(Reporting by Patricia Vilas Boas; additional reporting and writing by Andre Romani; Editing by Chris Reese and Kylie Madry)