# Access Control and Speed Policy Hub: [[Topics/Starlink/Starlink|Starlink]] · Related: [[Topics/Starlink/User Terminals and GNSS|User Terminals and GNSS]] · [[Topics/Starlink/Starshield vs Starlink|Starshield vs Starlink]] · [[Topics/Starlink/Ukraine Timeline|Ukraine Timeline]] SpaceX decides on its network, not in the dish, whether a terminal may connect. The inputs it can weigh are the terminal's identity and account, its service plan, its reported location and speed, and the rules for the ground cell it sits in. When the answer is no, the dish reports a **disablement code**. ## Disablement codes (from the dish's own API) Selected values of the `DishGetDiagnosticsResponse_DisablementCode` enum in the dish protobufs (the diagnostics call) ([device.pb.go](https://github.com/clarkzjw/starlink-grpc-golang/blob/master/pkg/spacex.com/api/device/device.pb.go)): | Code | Value | Plain meaning | |---|---:|---| | `BLOCKED_COUNTRY` | 6 | Service not allowed in this country | | `CELL_IS_DISABLED` | 8 | The ground cell you're in is switched off | | `ROAM_RESTRICTED` | 10 | Plan not allowed to roam here | | `UNKNOWN_LOCATION` | 11 | Network can't establish where you are | | `MOVING_TOO_FAST_FOR_POLICY` | 14 | Faster than your plan allows | | `UNDER_AVIATION_FLYOVER_LIMITS` | 15 | Aviation-related restriction | | `BLOCKED_AREA` | 16 | Location is in a blocked area | The names come from the API; what triggers each is not documented by SpaceX ⚠️. ## Geofencing: cells, not borders - **Logical cells.** Kutkov: Starlink uses "logical geographic regions rather than relying exclusively on the physical boundaries of satellite beams", and Uber's H3 hexagon grid is "one geographic indexing system relevant to this discussion", though "an H3 cell should not be confused with a physical satellite beam" ([post](https://x.com/olegkutkov/status/2113986509481144709)). A 2022 GitHub issue found Starlink's public availability map matches H3 at resolution 5 (hexagons of roughly 250 km² ⚠️); its author notes H3 maintainers had denied this in an earlier issue (#598) ([uber/h3 #717](https://github.com/uber/h3/issues/717)) ⚠️ community-observed, not confirmed by SpaceX. - **RF spill.** Beams don't stop at borders. A dish can hear a satellite yet still be refused service. Kutkov: "Receiving a Starlink signal does not necessarily mean the terminal is authorized to connect." - **Spoofing limits.** Feeding fake coordinates can nudge a position "to an allowed borderline on the edge of the active RF spot" ([reply](https://x.com/olegkutkov/status/2114104246685556798)) but cannot open a blocked region: "GPS hack would not help here; a disabled cell is a disabled cell" ([reply](https://x.com/olegkutkov/status/2114115354486042941)) ⚠️ expert opinion. Large spoofing errors also break beam pointing. - **Russia and occupied areas.** Service is blocked over Russia, "even for Starshield terminals", per Kutkov ([reply](https://x.com/olegkutkov/status/2114115354486042941)). The Oct 22, 2026 congressional letter asks the Pentagon to extend Starshield coverage over Russian territory, which implies it isn't there now ([Kelly et al.](https://www.kelly.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Starshield_Letter_to_Secretary_Hegseth_-_Version_2_-_10-22-2026_@_03-54_PM.pdf)). ## Ukraine's whitelist (Feb 2026) - **Why:** Russian forces had fitted Starlink to drones such as the Molniya-2, and a terminal was found on a BM-35 kamikaze drone ([BBC, Feb 2, 2026](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly94qe3yr0o)). - **What:** a whitelist of verified terminals, set up "in cooperation with SpaceX" (Fedorov). Unregistered terminals were disconnected ([BBC](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly94qe3yr0o); [MoD how-to](https://mod.gov.ua/en/news/countering-russian-drones-how-to-complete-starlink-verification-to-operate-terminals-in-ukraine); [MoD follow-up](https://mod.gov.ua/en/news/starlink-terminals-on-the-whitelist-remain-operational-while-russian-terminals-have-already-been-blocked)). Owners verify a terminal by its KIT number and UTID (dish ID). Individuals register at administrative service centres or, later, at Ukrposhta and Nova Poshta post offices; businesses register online through Diia. Approval takes up to 48 hours ([MoD how-to](https://mod.gov.ua/en/news/countering-russian-drones-how-to-complete-starlink-verification-to-operate-terminals-in-ukraine); [MoD on KIT and UTID](https://mod.gov.ua/en/news/white-list-for-starlink-terminals-how-to-find-the-kit-number-and-utid-identifier-to-complete-verification-and-use-your-terminal-in-ukraine); [Diia](https://www.diia.gov.ua/news/starlink-dlia-fizosib-pidtverdzhuite-terminaly-v-ukrposhti-abo-novii-poshti/)) ⚠️ (from search summaries; MoD pages block the box). - **Speed cap:** ArmiyaInform reported "a speed limit of 75kph on Starlink terminals moving over Ukraine", so Russian drone operators "will not be able to control them in real time" ([BBC](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly94qe3yr0o)). Al Jazeera reported 90 km/h ⚠️; Kutkov says "approximately 75–80 km/h". - **Result:** Musk: "Looks like the steps we took to stop the unauthorised use of Starlink by Russia have worked." Fedorov called him "a true champion of freedom" (BBC). ## In-motion speed caps by plan - **Since Mar 3, 2026:** Roam and Priority plans are capped at 100 mph / 160 km/h / 87 knots. Aviation plans allow 300 mph ($250/month add-on) or 450 mph ($1,000/month) ([Sporty's](https://www.sportys.com/blog/starlink-update-new-in-motion-speed-limits-and-what-it-means-for-pilots-/) and Starlink's customer email as quoted on Reddit ⚠️ secondary). - **Starshield** terminals in Ukraine were effectively "unlimited" until Oct 13–14, 2026, then cut to about 160 km/h for about a week, then restored above 400 km/h on Oct 24 ([Kutkov reply](https://x.com/olegkutkov/status/2113999543893111019); see [[Topics/Starlink/Ukraine Timeline|Ukraine Timeline]]). ## Speed is enforced by policy, not by GPS alone Kutkov separates two things: the dish **validating** its GPS data, and the network **enforcing** a plan's speed. A dish that distrusts GPS isn't thereby "too fast", and spoofing GPS speed doesn't change which speed the plan allows ([post](https://x.com/olegkutkov/status/2113986509481144709)) ⚠️ expert opinion.