From 2022 to 2024, Poland spent 323 million złoty ($84 million) on purchasing Starlink terminals and subscription fees. This was reported by the Polish publication Fakt, citing data from the Polish Ministry of Administration and Digitalization.
Most of these terminals were transferred to Ukraine, with only 1,000 terminals purchased for Poland’s internal needs.
In 2022-23, Poland spent 28.7 million złoty ($7.4 million) on terminal purchases, and in 2023, 9 million złoty ($2.3 million) was spent, acquiring 5,000 terminals.
The government covers the subscription costs for 24,000 terminals it purchased and 5,150 terminals provided by other organizations. According to agreements made by the Polish Ministry of Digitalization, the monthly cost for a standard service subscription is 528.9 złoty ($137), while a special subscription costs 1,383.75 złoty ($359).
The expenses were covered by state funds.
"All costs for this part were incurred from the Aid Fund established under the Law of March 12, 2022, on assistance to Ukrainian citizens in connection with the armed conflict in Ukraine," the ministry commented.
The Ministry of Digitalization also noted that under current legislation, Starlink support is provided until September 30, 2025. "The deadline for providing support has already been legislatively amended due to the prolonged conflict in Ukraine, in line with the relevant executive decisions of the EU Council," the ministry said in its response to Fakt's journalistic inquiry.
The latest EU Council decision (2024/1836, dated June 25, 2024) extends temporary protection for Ukrainian citizens until March 4, 2026, which may influence the continuation of satellite communication funding, the publication adds. The article also emphasizes that the Orlen company allocated over 29 million złoty ($7.5 million) for purchasing and servicing Starlink for Ukraine in 2022-2023. In 2022, the company purchased 5,000 terminals for 24 million złoty, and a year later, it allocated an additional 5 million złoty to cover part of the subscription costs. The equipment was transferred to Ukraine through the Government Strategic Reserves Agency.
