December 1, 2025 | 02:19 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - As severe flooding and landslides devastate parts of the Indonesian island of Sumatra due to tropical cyclone Senyar, Elon Musk announced his offer of free Starlink internet access for affected residents.
The announcement was delivered through Starlink’s official X account, stating:
“For those affected by the severe flooding in Indonesia, Starlink is providing free service to new and existing customers through the end of December. We’re also working with the Indonesian government to rapidly deploy terminals and restore connectivity to the hardest-hit areas on Sumatra.”
The post also directed readers to a follow-up link to Starlink’s official webpage.
According to the official statement, the emergency relief measure is available to new, active, and even currently suspended or paused customers, and the free access will remain in place through December 2025.
"SpaceX standard policy is to make Starlink free whenever there is a natural disaster somewhere in the world," wrote Elon Musk on X, quote-posting the Starlink announcement.
"It would not be right to profit from misfortune," he added.
In addition to Indonesia, Elon Musk also extended the same emergency support to Sri Lanka, which has been similarly devastated by flooding. As for new customers, the free emergency service can be activated by selecting one of two options: “Indonesia Flood Support” or “Sri Lanka Flood Support.”
As reported by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the floods and landslides across the three affected provinces of North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh have resulted in 442 fatalities and 402 missing persons as of November 30.
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