Elon Musk backlash might be causing a Canadian mobile carrier to keep quiet about SpaceX’s involvement in the company’s new satellite-to-phone service.
On Tuesday, Rogers Communications announced the official arrival of SpaceX’s cellular Starlink system to Canada as a free beta. But oddly, the mobile carrier has been steering clear of mentioning SpaceX, Starlink or Musk while promoting the new satellite service, which was noticed by Telecoms.com.
Instead, Rogers is branding the feature as “Rogers Satellite”—a name that subtly suggests the company developed the technology itself. In reality, the company is one of several SpaceX partners, including T-Mobile, that have been working to deliver the cellular Starlink service to consumer smartphones.
In the US, T-Mobile has been using the “T-Satellite” name to promote the technology. But the company has still been mentioning the Starlink brand, including during a Super Bowl ad in February to promote the satellite connectivity, which officially launches through T-Mobile on July 23rd.
The Roger’s website for the satellite service (Rogers)
In contrast, you won’t find SpaceX or the Starlink name mentioned in the Rogers Satellite website, support page or in Tuesday’s official announcement. The absence has caused some social media users to wonder if Rogers had launched its own satellite constellation. Meanwhile, others have noticed the distancing from Elon Musk’s brand.
“I didn’t see the word Starlink in the press release once. Lol,” wrote one user on Facebook.
One Facebook user confused by Roger’s announcement. (Facebook)
Rogers didn’t respond to a request for comment. But the carrier is launching the beta service when some Canadians have grown resentful of Musk. That’s because the SpaceX CEO used to be a close ally of President Trump, who remains locked in a trade war with Canada.
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The anti-Musk sentiment reached new levels when Ontario Premier Doug Ford killed a Starlink contract in March to hit back at Trump for imposing tariffs on Canada. The backlash also caused some third-party Starlink dish installers in the country to face online criticism and some lost sales. Meanwhile, SpaceX recently reported that its Starlink customer base in Canada has grown to over 500,000—up from 400,000 a year ago—but one analyst told PCMag the growth indicates a slowdown in interest.
So perhaps Rogers is trying to avoid facing any Musk-related backlash over the cellular Starlink service. The Canadian carrier plans on officially launching the satellite connectivity for phones after the beta program ends in October.
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About Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
