Paraguay's National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel), the country's telecoms regulator, has admitted to granting regulatory flexibilities that benefit Starlink, Elon Musk's satellite internet company. According to the regulatory body, the changes are necessary adjustments to align local regulations with technological advancements and the regulator says they will result in direct benefits for end users.
Víctor Martínez, a member of Conatel's board, explained that after a technical study, modifications related to the flexibility of equivalent power flux density were approved. "This results in an improvement in service quality. With this, user speeds can increase up to eight times, potentially reaching 1G/S in some cases," he stated.
Furthermore, Conatel authorized an exception for Starlink to use certain satellite frequencies known as the E and W bands. According to the report, this measure will allow the company to advance a project to integrate its satellite infrastructure with a terrestrial fiber-optic network. Martínez stated that Paraguay is among the first countries to apply this type of flexibility, which is provided for in the regulations of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), a UN specialized agency.
The director acknowledged that the decisions create more favorable conditions for Starlink but defended the action as necessary because technology advances faster than regulation. He also confirmed that the agreement between the Paraguayan government and Starlink to install more than 1,600 internet terminals in schools and public health facilities remains in effect.