There is a game changer spreading across the Amazon region. It is about the arrival of broadband internet connection brought by low orbit satellites. The main expanding company in the region is Starlink, a project by Elon Musk. Interestingly, the Brazilian (and international) press has only highlighted the problematic side of this connection, which is the fact that it is being used in illegal mining.
However, visiting the region (to record the 7th season of “Expresso Futuro”), you can see that the impact is much broader. The new technology is being used in remote regions by indigenous communities and peoples, including schools. Local communication initiatives used by different native peoples are migrating from radio to the internet, as Juliana Albuquerque, from the Baré people, who works in the Wayuri communication network, told me.
The use even reached the boats. For example, to go from Manaus to São Gabriel da Cachoeira, the “express” boat route takes about 24 hours. Today, the journey can be made on vessels that offer high-speed connection to passengers via Wi-Fi, using the Starlink service.
The connection expands so fast that local leaders are already starting to debate its cultural impact, especially with regard to children. There are leaders concerned that children may lose touch with local ways of life because of this. This debate is important. The decisions about what each indigenous people will do with the arrival of the internet can bring lessons for all of us.
Connecting the Amazon region to the network is not a recent goal. Many projects were taking place in this direction. The satellite connection has already existed for some time, through the Gesac project, but with very low speeds. The army also has the Amazônia Conectada project, with 1,900 kilometers of sub-river optical fiber connecting Manaus to nine municipalities.
Connecting the Amazon region is the holy grail of the region’s development. It can bring opportunities, expand the knowledge economy (including local) and boost education projects.
However, the connection provided by Starlink (and other companies that use low orbit satellites) can cause problems. The first one is dependency. The Amazon region is strategic and essential for the country. It is undesirable for one of your most critical infrastructures to be provided by a dominant supplier whose services will have a profound impact on activities in the region.
The other strategic issue involves data. The Starlink website has an extensive and detailed data policy, in which the company describes the information it collects, which may include identity, location and even browsing habits.
Until now, strategic data on the Amazon region was held by Brazil. For the first time, private organizations that operate satellites will be able to have more detailed data on the region than the country itself.
Another issue is compliance with local laws. Brazil has not only the Data Protection Law but also the Marco Civil da Internet, which prohibits connection providers from “monitoring or analyzing the content” of trafficked data.
In other words, the arrival of low-orbit satellite connectivity to the Amazon is a complex phenomenon, the repercussions of which we are only just beginning to understand.
Already it was – amazon disconnected
Already – Amazon connected by Gesac, fiber and other local initiatives
It’s coming – Amazonia connected by low-orbit satellites operated by global private companies
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