By Waldaniel Amadis | 2024-11-25

SAO PAULO -- An agreement between Brazil and Chinese satellite internet company SpaceSail -- one of 37 deals signed during Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Brasilia -- has drawn criticism from Brazilian opposition leaders and parts of the tech industry.

Xi was in Brazil for the G20 summit from November 17-21.

The Chinese low-orbit satellite firm SpaceSail signed a memorandum November 19 with Brazilian state-owned telecommunication company Telebrás, marking its entry into the Brazilian market, the South China Morning Post reported.

The agreement allows SpaceSail, a competitor to Elon Musk's Starlink, to offer satellite communications and broadband internet in Latin America's largest market.

"The satellite communication services provided by SpaceSail for Brazil will be realized on the basis of the Thousand Sails Constellation, a giant low-orbit satellite constellation adopting a full-frequency-band, multi-layer and multi-orbit design," SpaceSail said in a statement, according to Reuters.

Analysts and opposition leaders have called the agreement with the Chinese company a "risk" to Brazil's cybersecurity.

On November 21, the news site O Antagonista released a video highlighting the potential dangers of the deal.

O Antagonista shared exclusive footage of Chinese security agents suppressing protests in Rio de Janeiro against Xi Jinping's regime during the G20 summit, just as officials were signing the memorandum between SpaceSail and Telebrás.

Risks to free speech

The site also reported that members of the Chinese delegation forcibly removed journalists from a room where British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was denouncing Beijing's human rights record.

Luiz Galeazzo, former advisor to ex-president Jair Bolsonaro, took to social media to question the Chinese company's capabilities and the potential "risk" of enabling censorship on social media.

Galeazzo highlighted the stark contrast between long-established Starlink and SpaceSail, a company still in its expansion phase.

He also expressed concerns over the "risk" of entrusting the data of Brazilian companies, citizens and government agencies to a Chinese company obligated to share information with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

The move could pave the way for censorship and the control of opinions on social networks, mirroring the CCP's practices in China, he said.

Entrusting "sensitive data" to a company like SpaceSail -- or any firm linked to China -- runs a considerable risk, Roland Cruz, an engineer and an adviser to companies with interests in China, told Entorno.

Targeting the Brazilian market

Starlink has made connectivity possible in remote regions like the Amazon.

It has a 45% market share in Brazil and partners with major institutions.

Shanghai-based SpaceSail, China's satellite competitor, has launched only 18 operational satellites and 40 test satellites. However, the company aims to deploy 15,000 satellites by 2030 and focuses on emerging markets as a key industry player.

According to Xinhua, China currently operates 1,059 satellites, including 492 commercial ones.

Both private and state-owned Chinese companies have been rapidly launching satellites to compete with Starlink.