Musk Proposes 100,000 Starlink Satellites to Compete with Subsea Cables Amid Gulf Tensions

• •Elon Musk proposes a network of 100,000 Starlink V4 satellites to rival subsea cables.
• •Each satellite is expected to have 100 lasers operating at over 10 Tbps, significantly increasing capacity.
• •The proposal arises amid threats to subsea cables in the Persian Gulf, highlighting geopolitical tensions.

On November 6, 2026, Elon Musk announced plans for a constellation of 100,000 Starlink V4 satellites, each equipped with approximately 100 lasers capable of operating above 10 Tbps, to potentially outcompete subsea cables. This announcement comes amid rising tensions in the Persian Gulf, where Iranian officials have reportedly threatened subsea communication cables. Musk's claims suggest that the speed of light in space is 40% faster than in fiber optics, and that a laser-linked satellite network could provide a more resilient communication infrastructure. However, the deployment of the V4 satellites is still in the application stage with the FCC, and the current V3 satellites have only 26 units in orbit. The proposed capacity of 100,000 satellites could theoretically exceed the total capacity of existing subsea cables, which currently handle around 6.4 petabits per second. The strategic implications of this proposal are significant, given the geopolitical context of potential attacks on subsea cables in the region.