2023-07-27 19:15:10
This is not said too much on the spot, because it remains prohibited, but many give in to temptation: Wallis-and-Futuna, the furthest French territory from the Pacific, is experiencing a mini-rush towards Starlink Internet connection kits, the American company of Elon Musk. A beautiful subject for national sovereignty that President Emmanuel Macron intends to defend during his visit to Oceania, from July 24 to 29. The head of state, however, canceled his trip to Wallis, where the social climate is tense – the teachers, who have been on strike for two months, are demanding accountability from the state as to their status.
The Wallisian Territorial Assembly should soon take a deliberation on the connectivity of the archipelago. Former speaker of the assembly, senator Mikaele Kulimoetoke (Rally of Democrats, Progressives and Independents) warns of the situation. “People have bought the Starlink connection kit here in France, because it is cheaper, and have installed it successfully. This poses a problem for the French state and external security due to data capture. But the latter has already yielded a lot to the United States and China in this area, he believes. And as France has said yes to Starlink on its territory, I can’t see myself supporting a decision to ban Wallis which risks becoming ridiculous over time. »
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In France, the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communications, Posts and Press Distribution (Arcep) gave its consent in May 2021 to Starlink. The American company already has more than ten thousand subscribers to date in France. In Wallis and Futuna, subject to the monopoly of the Post and Telecommunications Service (SPT), which works with Orange, at least a hundred people have already connected since July, taking advantage of a recent promotional offer from Starlink which lowers the cost of his equipment. The constellation in low orbit of Elon Musk’s satellites offers an individual broadband connection of 200 megabits per second for 40 euros of subscription per month, sum to which is added the material (200 euros).
Companies and administrations penalized
By devoting the entirety of the 11th European Development Fund allocated to it, to the tune of 19 million euros, and thanks to bridging financing from the French Development Agency (AFD) of 13 million, Wallis-et- Futuna has however invested to connect since 2018 to the Tui-Samoa cable, which joins Samoa in Fiji. “A historic development opportunity” on a landlocked land which has lost 30% of its population in fifteen years, the AFD had then indicated.
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