Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu announced in a post on X on Tuesday, April 29, that he mandated the telecom market regulator, ANCOM, to actively promote the revision of international satellite regulations after “positive results” conducted by Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the country.
Last year, ANCOM allowed Starlink, the satellite internet service operator run by SpaceX, to test whether a global standard governing the use of satellites can be relaxed. Specifically, the tests aimed to demonstrate that a rule dating from the 1990s, which technically limits new-generation, non-geostationary satellites like those operated by Starlink, can be relaxed without affecting the functionality of classic, geostationary satellites.
“The test will simulate a potential increase in Starlink network capacity in the test area by approximately eight times more than current limits. With more efficient limits, all NGSO systems will be able to offer better service to Romanian citizens in the future while still protecting critical GSO services,” ANCOM had said back then.
SpaceX and Amazon have both argued that these limits are outdated and hinder innovation.
“In light of the positive results of the world’s first test of its kind conducted by SpaceX in Romania, the Romanian government fully supports the development of new NGSO satellite technologies and mandates ANCOM to analyze and actively promote the revision of current international regulations regarding the EPFD limits,” Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said in the post on X.
In response, Gwynne Shotwell, president of SpaceX, thanked the Romanian official and said that “this is an incredible step to help connect all Romanians with high-speed broadband internet.”
"I am glad, in the end, that we are partners with a top American company, SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, for the development of a new satellite technology. Now, this partnership is entering a new stage, following the favorable results of the tests conducted by the company in Romania," Marcel Ciolacu stated at the start of the government meeting on April 30.
Elon Musk constantly attacked Romania in December 2024 and in the first three months of this year due to the cancellation of the presidential elections. On December 20, 2024, he commented on the election situation, stating that a judge cannot cancel the vote without being considered a dictator. Mario Nawfal, whom Musk retweeted, also referred in a social media post to the situation of the presidential elections in Romania, saying that they “were proceeding normally until the supreme court annulled the results, citing an alleged ‘Russian interference.’”
In February, Musk shared a message in support of far-right Romanian politician Călin Georgescu on X, blaming the “Soros network” and saying that “Romania deserves its own sovereignty,” prompting one of the ANCOM heads to hit back publicly.
(Photo source: Andreistanescu | Dreamstime.com)
