CYBERSECURITY consultant Trevor Forrest is predicting that the Hurricane Melissa-fuelled uptick in the use of satellite Internet service Starlink will continue after the country rebounds, filling connectivity gaps that have long plagued sections of Jamaica while complementing existing telecommunications providers.

Since the Category 5 Storm robbed swathes of the country of power and Internet service, Starlink devices and mainly fuel-powered generators have become part of the landscape in many communities, even in the deep corners of rural Jamaica.

A special deal which offers Starlink service free of charge has given many people a taste of what connectivity by satellite is like. Now it remains to be seen what will happen when they have to pay.

“I think, and this is my personal view, that you’re going to see people using a combination of Starlink and the traditional services from the telcos. Because where there is a deficiency in one, the other will make it up. I think that is what will ultimately happen,” Forrest told the Jamaica Observer Monday afternoon.

He was careful to stress that he was speaking in a personal capacity as he is also former chairman of the Spectrum Management Authority (SMA), which has regulatory authority over Jamaica’s radio frequency spectrum.

His wider comments came in his capacity as senior consultant to the minister with responsibility for science, technology and special projects Dr Andrew Wheatley.

According to Forrest, the late October storm has opened up a lot of doors for Starlink.

“It is fortuitous that something like Hurricane Melissa has brought to the fore the convenience of a new modality for connectivity, which is via satellite. It was not something that was contemplated a lot from the consumer standpoint before, because of the cost. But given what the Starlink offering is doing now by bringing that kind of access to the consumer level, I think the stars aligned for Starlink because that modality of satellite for Internet connectivity is proving to be very convenient, very useful now, especially given the kind of damage that the hurricane has brought,” Forrest told the Observer.

While he believes Jamaica’s telecommunications sector has entered a new phase, Forrest was adamant that the current major players — Digicel and Flow — are not under significant threat at this time.

“It is a new dispensation, not a temporary measure. There are clearly going to be some people who are going to continue using Starlink. I believe there are some who are going to see the benefit of it, which will obviously have an impact on the traditional providers. But I don’t think you’re going to find that people are just going to wholesale not use the services from Flow and the Digicel,” he explained.

Forrest pointed to what he described as Starlink’s comparatively limited bandwidth and vulnerability to security breaches if not properly installed as weaknesses that may make some people think twice about using the service.

In a November 6 media release, Jamaica Cyber Incident Response Team (JaCIRT) issued guidance to help households, schools, clinics, and small businesses safely use Starlink satellite Internet systems, which is offered by the United States-based technology giant SpaceX.

JaCIRT outlined the steps needed to ensure nefarious individuals do not use the system to access sensitive data or power their fraudulent activities.

For now, Forrest is waiting to see the full extent of some Jamaicans’ current love affair with Starlink.

“You have to look at the practicality of the solution because if it is that it’s merely plugging a gap out of desperation and convenience, that does not necessarily mean it is the ideal solution. But I think what the hurricane has done is, it has created a massive opportunity for Starlink to enter the market in a big way and to provide connectivity in a time of need,” he said.

“It’s just like when people go to solar. Even though they would like to always stay off the grid, when there is a sustained period of no sun and their batteries cannot charge, what do they do? They go back to JPS (Jamaica Public Service Company),” Forrest added.

FORREST… there are clearly going to be some people who are going to continue using Starlink.