Anger in Papua New Guinea after Starlink ordered to shut down internet services

The Guardian - World NewsCenter-LeftEN 3 min read 100% complete by Rebecca Bush in Port MoresbyJanuary 6, 2026 at 03:50 AM
Anger in Papua New Guinea after Starlink ordered to shut down internet services

AI Summary

medium article 3 min

Papua New Guinea is experiencing growing frustration after the government ordered Starlink to cease operations in mid-December because the satellite internet provider lacks a license to operate there. The National Information and Communications Technology Authority (Nicta) awaits a directive from the ombudsman or courts regarding licensing, with no timeline provided. Starlink, while stating its desire to operate legally in PNG, has not commented further. The shutdown is impacting businesses, health providers, and remote communities that relied on Starlink for affordable and reliable internet access, especially in areas with limited mobile network coverage. A petition has been started and many are urging the government to resolve the issue and allow Starlink to operate legally.

Keywords

starlink 100% internet services 90% papua new guinea 90% shutdown 80% licensing 70% small businesses 60% remote areas 60% nicta 50% satellite internet 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative
Score: -0.40

Source Transparency

Source
The Guardian - World News
Political Lean
Center-Left (-0.40)
Far LeftCenterFar Right
Classification Confidence
90%
Geographic Perspective
Papua New Guinea

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

No topic relationship data available yet. This graph will appear once topic relationships have been computed.
Explore Full Topic Graph