Starlink announces free broadband service to people of Venezuela

In support of the people of Venezuela, Starlink — owned by Elon Musk, who once was a close friend of the US President Donald Trump — announced that it is offering free broadband internet service across the country through February 3 to ensure continued connectivity.

"Starlink is providing free broadband service to the people of Venezuela through February 3, ensuring continued connectivity," the satellite internet constellation said in a statement on X.

Musk, CEO of SpaceX and Starlink, retweeted the post with a caption, "In support of the people of Venezuela."

The development comes a day after the US carried out strikes in Venezuela, capturing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

After the US captured President Nicolas Maduro in an audacious raid and whisked him to New York to face drug-trafficking charges, Trump said that he was putting Venezuela under temporary American control

"We will run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition," Trump said during a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. "We can't take a chance that someone else takes over Venezuela who doesn't have the interests of Venezuelans in mind."

He said he would allow American oil companies to go into Venezuela to tap its massive crude reserves after a US military operation seized its leader Nicolas Maduro.

"We're going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country," Trump added.

He also said that "the embargo on all Venezuelan oil remains in full effect."

— With additional input from AFP