Thousands of Starlink users in Ireland and across the globe were left without service on Wednesday evening, July 24th, 2025, during a rare and unexpected global outage. It began just after 8:00pm Irish time, affecting everything from remote homes to rural small businesses that rely on Starlink for internet.
This marks the first major service disruption in over two years of service for for me, but should we be worried?
Is this a once-off glitch, or the start of more problems? Could it have been a hack? And for those with fibre access, is it time to switch?
🛰️ What happened?
At around 8pm (Irish time), users in Ireland, the UK, Europe, the US, and Australia began reporting a total service drop. Routers were stuck in “searching for satellites” mode, and Downdetector.com showed a massive spike in reports. (Starlink is currently not listed on Downdetector.ie but we have reported that it’s missing…)
SpaceX, who operate the Starlink network, acknowledged the issue and posted the following update on X (formerly Twitter):
“Starlink is currently in a network outage and we are actively implementing a solution. We appreciate your patience.”
This was not a localised disruption — it was a full global outage.
🕰️ First major outage in years
Starlink launched in Ireland over two years ago and has become a lifeline for rural areas, where fibre or reliable mobile broadband simply isn’t available. This is the first major total blackout many users have experienced.
Previous issues (like the May 2024 solar storms) caused brief slowdowns or dropouts, but nothing on this scale.
For most Irish users, especially in Mayo, Roscommon, Leitrim, Galway, and Donegal, Starlink has been rock-solid.
🛡️ Was it a hack?
There is no evidence to suggest this was a cyberattack. SpaceX has so far described it as a “network outage” — not a security breach. Experts agree it’s more likely to have been a technical issue, possibly in the ground infrastructure or software systems that control the satellites.
That said, Starlink has military and government applications, making it a high-profile target — but nothing concrete has been shared to support the hacking theory.
⚖️ Is this the start of more frequent outages?
Unlikely. Here’s why:
- Starlink has 6,700+ satellites with built-in redundancy.
- This is the first global-scale outage since launch.
- Regional slowdowns have occurred before, but never a full shutdown.
- SpaceX is usually fast to fix. This issue was resolved in a matter of hours.
Unless this becomes a pattern, this outage is likely a one-off.
🔌 Fibre vs Starlink in Ireland: Should you switch?
That depends on your location. Here’s a quick comparison for Irish households:
| Broadband Type | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Fibre (FTTH) | Fastest speeds, low latency, no weather issues | Often unavailable in rural Ireland |
| Starlink | Nationwide reach, ideal for remote homes/farms | More expensive, weather-sensitive, now one global outage |
| 4G/5G Routers | Cheap, portable | Spotty rural coverage, signal congestion |
| Fixed Wireless | Available in some rural zones, no dish | Tower-dependent, slower, and less consistent |
If you’re in a townland that’s already covered by the National Broadband Plan (NBP) and fibre is installed to your home — yes, consider switching.
But if you’re in a more remote area, Starlink is still by far the best option — and this rare outage doesn’t change that.
📝 Final Thoughts
This Starlink outage is the first global issue in more than two years of reliable service. There’s no indication of hacking, and it was fixed relatively quickly.
So, if you’re already on Starlink in rural Ireland, don’t panic. Keep an eye out, but there’s no strong reason to cancel or switch unless outages become more common.
If fibre arrives at your gate and you’re able to switch to it affordably, it’s certainly worth a look — especially if you’re running a business or working from home.
