Deputy Minister of Communications Tkach: Rassvet satellite communications to become a commercial service once the satellite constellation is expanded

Deputy Minister of Communications and Informatization Pavel Tkach said that Belarus intends to launch the Rassvet satellite communications system, which is described as a Belarusian analogue of Starlink. It can be offered as a commercial service, including in Belarus, once the satellite constellation has been expanded to the level needed for continuous, high-quality communications.

According to Belarusian state media, the full commercial launch is planned for 2027. Pro-Russian outlets have reported that the new Russian Rassvet system will reach full operation in early 2027.

According to the Russian outlet rg.ru on 20 October, 16 satellites have been launched. The outlet writes that this already allows the system to operate for several hours while the satellites are over Ukrainian territory, and that Rassvet is being tested and trialled for Russian drones.

By the end of 2026, according to Belarusian state media on 27 October, the creators of the space platform plan to carry out a series of local tests and the first trial connections.

Tkach said that several devices have been handed over for testing. According to him, the development uses technologies that even Starlink does not have. He did not specify which ones.

New equipment will soon be handed over to specialists, and this, in the official's words, will bring closer the use of satellite communications for ordinary Belarusians too. Rassvet will become a commercial service only once there are enough satellites.

Tkach said the equipment could be used by the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Satellite communications are especially useful in emergencies, for example during a hurricane, when the power supply is disrupted.

For citizens, he said, the service is unlikely to be available: satellite communications cost more than fibre-optic ones, so they will more likely be used by entrepreneurs, who can pay somewhat more than an ordinary individual.

According to an analytical briefing, the Rassvet project is valued at 55 million dollars and is partly financed through Belarus's Development Bank. That is about 6.1 dollars per resident of the country.

The Ukrainian outlet rbc.ua writes that one of the investors was the bank VTB.

According to the same briefing, the equipment was supplied through Belarusian companies that took part in deliveries for the Russian military-industrial complex. The main supplier is named as the company Elementary Machines LLC. Others mentioned include the Homel Machine Tool and Assembly Plant, Belarusian Machine Tools and Hephaestus. The deliveries included foreign machine tools to increase missile output.

Tkach also spoke about operators' interaction with neighbouring countries. Operators agree on frequencies and power levels so as not to create interference, but interference, he said, does occur. With the Baltic states and Poland, he stated, there are no problems, and none with the Russian side either. With Ukraine, according to him, it is harder to work, because it does not engage in contact.

He acknowledged that when relations with neighbours are tense it is harder to reach agreements, but everything is governed by international law. By the end of the year, Tkach forecasts, the capacity of the country's mobile network will grow by about 30%.

The first Belarusian satellite, BelKA-2, was launched in July 2012 for the needs of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and agriculture. In January 2016 the communications satellite Belintersat-1 was launched from China's Xichang spaceport.