Starlink, the satellite broadband provider operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, has been providing service in Bermuda, even though not yet approved by the Regulatory Authority of Bermuda.

While waiting for formal domestic licensing, users and marine operators can access the network in Bermuda via a simple workaround.

Starlink delivers high-speed broadband to homes, businesses, and travellers globally, via its constellation of thousands of Low Earth Orbit satellites.

The company says on its website that while it operates globally over international waters, coverage and in-motion use over specific territorial waters and landmasses are strictly contingent on local government approval.

Bermuda is not yet on a list of countries Starlink recognises as having given regulatory approval, but marine traffic passing through the island legally uses the service for open water connectivity.

Starlink sells an unlimited global roaming package of “up to 300+ Mbps — our best performing internet on the go with unlimited high-speed data” starting at about £100 ($134) per month.

The user equipment is small enough for a personal traveller to bring into the island and establish at a residence.

Meanwhile, one technology expert who can see a future Bermuda with an approved internet service, said a Starlink mobile telephone service would be far more technologically challenging.

Zlatko Zahirovic, cofounder and chief technology officer of Paradise Mobile, explained that while a Starlink receiver at a home could potentially offset some internet services, a Starlink mobile service would require other solutions.

He did not see Starlink as a threat to local mobile phone operators in the near future, and “probably not for 30 years”, depending on how the technology advanced.

In a wide-ranging video interview with The Royal Gazette, Mr Zahirovic said his company was still actively trying to stamp out the rare remaining dead spots on the island for Paradise Mobile coverage — and making progress.

He said: “We’ve modified, added, enhanced significantly the network. We grew the network by 50 per cent, but have since enhanced and modified the existing network to make sure that we have better penetration and better coverage.”