According to a recent report by our friends at Teslarati, the SpaceX Starlink internet mobile app saw a whopping 21,000 installs in Ukraine last Sunday. This number made it the most downloaded app in the country on the day.
The information came from a Wall Street Journal article that notes an analytics company called Sensor Tower has been tracking the app's downloads from Apple and Google's online app stores. The article actually notes that app downloads for Starlink internet have been "soaring" in general, though it's most obvious in the battered country amid the Russian invasion.
When Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk first mentioned that Starlink internet was activated in Ukraine, and the necessary terminals were en route, many people were skeptical. However, the first shipment arrived in Ukraine in fewer than 48 hours, and there has been at least one additional shipment since then, which also included Tesla Powerwall batteries, solar inverters, and more.
We've also learned that Starlink is reportedly functioning well in Ukraine, and that officials in the country have been working to alert citizens about the service and the app, which are being provided free of charge at this point.
Sensor Tower also noted that as of last Sunday, there had already been nearly 100,000 Starlink internet mobile app downloads from Ukraine's Google and Apple online app stores. While some may feel the internet and mobile apps aren't primary necessities during a time of war, Starlink has already proven very helpful to many Ukrainians, for obvious reasons. Moreover, reliable internet access could prove integral to the Ukrainian government as the war surges on.
With power outages across the country and many people's homes destroyed, internet access is becoming an issue. Tesla's Poweralls can keep the Starlink terminals powered up, at least for a time, and perhaps indefinitely if connected to a solar system. This is a wise plan since the ongoing concern is that Russia will make a more direct attempt to take out Ukraine's internet services and any other forms of communication it can disable.
There is already a growing number of reports of power and internet outages across Ukraine, and it only stands to get worse as the Russian invasion continues. Elon Musk has been in direct contact with Ukraine's vice prime minister and minister for Digital Transformation, Mykhail Feodorov, as well as president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Musk has also issued various warnings and provided Starlink tips to further help the country. More recently, it appears someone from Tesla and/or SpaceX put together a "how-to" video (linked above) to help people learn to use the Tesla Powerwalls to keep the Starlink internet service online.
