Starlink’s promise of global satellite internet masks a labyrinthine terrestrial backbone, where traffic from users’ dishes journeys through a patchwork of upstream providers before reaching the broader internet. Recent analysis by networking expert Anurag Bhatia has decoded this system, revealing how SpaceX’s AS14593 strategically partners with major ISPs across continents—and why shifts, like new testing with Mumbai’s Microscan (AS55352), signal ongoing evolution in their global strategy.

The BGP and GeoIP Mapping Challenge

Starlink operates 1,109 BGP prefixes globally, but its user IP pools (from GeoIP data) are finer-grained—often /24 subnets or smaller. To untangle the routing, Bhatia devised a method to avoid redundant lookups by grouping subnets into unique /24-city pairs (e.g., consolidating four Luxembourg /27s into one /24). He then analyzed global routing table dumps, filtering paths visible via transit-free Tier 1 networks to isolate upstream providers. For instance, paths like [54309,1299,14593] for 87.251.24.0/24 indicate Arelion (AS1299) as the transit.

This approach transformed 1,005 routes into a clear map of Starlink’s dependencies, showing how a handful of providers shoulder traffic for hundreds of locations—a testament to BGP’s role in stitching together satellite and terrestrial networks.

Key Findings: The Upstream Ecosystem

Starlink’s global reach hinges on partnerships with regional and global giants. The analysis identifies over 30 upstream ASNs, with notable patterns:
- Dominant Players: Arelion (AS1299) serves 80+ locations, including remote sites like Svalbard and conflict zones like Khartoum, acting as Starlink’s most widespread partner. NTT (AS2914) and Lumen (AS3356) cover major hubs like London and Tokyo.
- Regional Specialization: Providers like Liquid Intelligent Technologies (AS30844) handle African traffic, while Australia relies on Vocus (AS4826) and Mercury NZ (AS55850). In South America, Seaborn (AS13786) and Ufinet (AS52468) dominate.
- Emerging Tests: Microscan (AS55352) and Vodafone Qatar (AS48728) appear as upstreams without mapped Points of Presence (PoPs), suggesting trial deployments or backbone roles not yet reflected in GeoIP data.

Why This Matters for Tech Leaders

For developers and network engineers, this mapping isn’t just academic—it reveals tangible insights:
- Latency and Reliability: Traffic may route through distant upstreams (e.g., Sri Lankan users hitting Arelion in Singapore), potentially impacting performance. Choosing CDNs or cloud regions could benefit from this data.
- Resilience Risks: Over-reliance on few providers (like Arelion across Europe and Asia) creates single points of failure. Diversification efforts, like the Microscan test, highlight Starlink’s push to mitigate this.
- Infrastructure Evolution: As satellite internet scales, understanding these interconnections aids in debugging, security audits, and peering strategies. Bhatia notes routing shifts are frequent; this snapshot (from October 2025 data) is a baseline for future comparisons.

Starlink’s network, once a black box, now shows its terrestrial seams—a reminder that even the most advanced space tech depends on Earth-bound alliances. As Bhatia’s work illustrates, the internet’s true architecture is written in BGP paths and GeoIP correlations, waiting for those willing to decode it.

Source: Analysis derived from Anurag Bhatia's blog based on routing data from October 2025.