TORONTO — When a severe tropical cyclone hit New Zealand in February 2023, it left thousands on the country’s North Island without internet or cellphone service for nearly a week, as major roads carrying vital fibre optic cables were washed out.
Of residents who managed to retain an internet connection amid Cyclone Gabrielle, many relied on a lifeline that didn’t even exist just a few years earlier: SpaceX’s satellite internet service known as Starlink.
The company, which provides internet service through a constellation of thousands of satellites orbiting the globe, has seen significant uptake in New Zealand since launching there in 2021 — especially among rural communities — which
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