SpaceX Starlink has officially submitted an application for a license to provide satellite internet service in Türkiye. This move comes just days after the company's founder, Elon Musk, held discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan during his visit to the United States last week on September 17.

The application for a license to provide satellite internet services in Türkiye was confirmed this week by Ömer Fatih Sayan, Türkiye's deputy transport and infrastructure minister, who announced the development on the social media platform X. “Starlink, which provides low orbit satellite service, had conveyed their request that they wanted to operate in our country. Based on these requests, we held a productive meeting with SpaceX officials at our Information Technologies and Communications Authority today,” shared Sayan on September 20. “As a result of the meeting; On Monday, September 25, 2023, we will receive the opinions of our entire communications industry and the public, especially our stakeholders regarding satellite services,” they said in Turkish (all quotes in this story were translated). These consultations are underscoring the government's commitment to transparency and inclusivity in the decision-making process.

This announcement follows a series of meetings between President Erdoğan and Elon Musk, who is also the CEO of Tesla, both in Türkiye and on the sidelines of international forums. Their interactions have led to the development of a friendly relationship, which culminated in Musk's visit to Türkiye.

SpaceX has previously collaborated with Türkiye's space industry by launching several communication satellites atop Falcon 9 missions. Additionally, President Erdoğan extended an invitation to Musk to establish a Tesla factory in Türkiye. “We discussed with Musk both Tesla's investment in Türkiye and taking joint steps in space studies. I hope they will conduct a joint study with our friends,” President Erdoğan told reporters, emphasizing the potential for future collaboration between the two entities.

Alçak yörünge uydu hizmeti sunan Starlink, ülkemizde de faaliyette bulunmak istediklerine dair taleplerini iletmişlerdi.

Bu taleplerine istinaden, bugün Bilgi Teknolojileri ve İletişim Kurumumuzda SpaceX yetkilileri ile verimli bir toplantı gerçekleştirdik.

Toplantı… pic.twitter.com/2A7wT3N9L4

— Dr. ÖMER FATİH SAYAN (@ofatihsayan) September 20, 2023

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Featured Image Sources: Daily Sabah Turkey - Anadolu Agency / SpaceX