Starlink Use in Myanmar Plummets After Antennas Linked to Scam Centres; SpaceX Deactivates 2,500+ Units

Starlink use in Myanmar falls after probes link receivers to scam operations

Estimates from the regional internet registry APNIC show that use of Elon Musk's Starlink service across Myanmar has fallen sharply since the end of September, after investigations connected the satellite receivers to organised scam centres.

An AFP investigation documented Starlink terminals at multiple alleged scam sites, including drone footage showing long rows of satellite dishes on the roofs of the KK Park complex near the Thai border. Within days, SpaceX — Starlink's parent company — said it had deactivated more than 2,500 receivers “in the vicinity of suspected ‘scam centres’” in Myanmar.

APNIC data indicate that at its peak this summer up to 14% of Myanmar’s internet users accessed the web via Starlink, making it the country’s most-used provider for a period. That share fell to under 7% by November 10, and the service dropped from its early lead to fourth place in APNIC rankings by November 9.

The alleged scam facilities commonly run romance and commercial fraud schemes that target victims internationally; reporting and analysts say many are operated by Chinese criminal groups working with local militias. Since mid-October the country’s military junta has staged high-profile raids on the KK Park complex. An AFP analysis of satellite imagery showed damage or demolition affecting roughly 100 buildings, though about three-quarters of the site’s surface area remained intact in recent images.

Starlink has faced scrutiny beyond the deactivations: the company has been the subject of a U.S. congressional inquiry since late July into whether its service has been used to support the scam operations. Observers and analysts say the junta often turns a blind eye to organised fraud networks while allied militias exert control over border regions.

Context: Myanmar has been engulfed by civil conflict since the February 2021 coup, creating governance vacuums that criminal networks and militias have exploited.