Billionaire Elon Musk mobilized a Cybertruck carrying Starlink equipment to Los Angeles, providing free Internet to areas swept by wildfires.
Billionaire Elon Musk announced on January 12 that he plans to use his Cybertruck and Starlink technology to provide free internet to the California wildfire disaster area. The Tesla and Starlink boss said the plan would delay Cybertruck deliveries in California by several days.
“I apologize to customers waiting to receive their Cybertrucks in California. We need to use these vehicles as mobile power stations for Starlink terminals to support areas of Los Angeles that do not have internet connectivity. Starting this weekend, we will only be able to deliver one new vehicle to a customer,” Musk wrote on X.
Billionaire Elon Musk at an event in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on October 26, 2024. Photo: AFP
In another post, Musk described how Cybertrucks would be equipped with Starlink and “free wifi” would be distributed to areas with the most urgent need in the Los Angeles and Malibu suburbs.
These Cybertrucks will be monitored by security guards, carrying snacks and clean water to distribute to people passing by.
Three days ago, the tech billionaire retweeted a Fox News video on X , in which a reporter praised Starlink’s internet service for keeping colleagues in touch. “Starlink is the only reason we can hear and communicate with you right now, because there’s no cell signal in the area,” the reporter said.
In the comments section posted with the video, Musk pledged to provide a series of Starlink terminals to the disaster area in Los Angeles for free starting on the morning of January 9.
If Californians are able to connect to the Internet via Starlink, it will be the second time in the past six months that Musk has pledged to deploy this satellite Internet service for free to disaster or natural disaster areas in the US.
In October 2024, the world’s richest billionaire also pledged to provide this technology for free to victims of Hurricane Helene.
But a Register investigation found that residents in areas hit by Hurricane Helene were ultimately asked to pay $400 for Starlink equipment, including shipping. Customers were also told that the first month of service was free, after which they would have to pay $120 per month.