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China faces a tall order in its efforts to catch up to Elon Musk’s SpaceX satellite service.

SpaceX’s Starlink already has nearly 7,000 operational satellites in orbit and serves around 5 million customers in more than 100 countries, according to SpaceX. The service is meant to offer high-speed internet to customers in remote and underserved areas.

SpaceX hopes to expand its megaconstellation to as many as 42,000 satellites. China is aiming for a similar scale and hopes to have around 38,000 satellites across three of its low earth orbit internet projects, known as Qianfan, Guo Wang and Honghu-3.

Aside from Starlink, European-based Eutelsat OneWeb has also launched more than 630 low earth orbit, or LEO, internet satellites. Amazon also has plans for a large LEO constellation, currently called Project Kuiper, made up of more than 3,000 satellites, though the company has launched only two prototype satellites so far.

With so much competition, why would China even bother pouring money and effort into such megaconstellations? 

“Starlink has really shown that it is able to bring internet access to individuals and citizens in remote corners and provide an ability for citizens to access the internet and whatever websites, whatever apps they would like,” said Steve Feldstein, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“For China, a big push has been to censor what citizens can access,” Feldstein said. “And so for them, they say, ‘Well, this presents a real threat. If Starlink can provide uncensored content either to our citizens or to individuals of countries that are allied with us, that is something that could really pierce through our censorship regime. And so we need to come up with an alternative.'”

Blaine Curcio, founder of Orbital Gateway Consulting, agrees. “In certain countries, China could see this as almost like a differentiator. It’s like: ‘Well, maybe we’re not as quick to market, but hey, we will censor the heck out of your internet if you’d like us to, and we’ll do it with a smile on our faces.'”

Experts say that while Chinese constellations won’t be the choice internet provider for places such as the U.S., Western Europe, Canada and other U.S. allies, plenty of other regions could be open to a Chinese service.

“There’s a couple of geographic areas in particular that might be attractive for a Starlink-like competitor, specifically one made by China, including China itself,” said Juliana Suess, an associate at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs. “Russia, for example, but also Afghanistan and Syria are not yet covered by Starlink. And there’s also large parts of Africa that aren’t yet covered.”

“We’ve seen that 70% of 4G infrastructures in the continent of Africa are already built by Huawei,” Suess added. “And so having a space-based perspective to that might sort of further build inroads there.”

Aside from being a tool for geopolitical influence, having a proprietary satellite internet constellation is increasingly becoming a national security necessity, especially when ground internet infrastructure is crippled during war.

“When it comes to the difference that Starlink technology has played in the Ukraine battlefield, one of the big leaps we’ve seen has been the emergence of drone warfare and the connected battlefield,” Feldstein said. “Having satellite-based weaponry is something that’s viewed as a crucial military advantage. And so I think China sees all that and says investing in this is absolutely critical for our national security goals.”

Watch the video to find out more about why China is building out these megaconstellations and the challenges the country will face.

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Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban, but Trump might offer lifeline

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Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban, but Trump might offer lifeline

Jaap Arriens | Nurphoto | Getty Images

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the law requiring China-based ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok by Sunday or face an effective ban of the popular social video app in the U.S.

ByteDance has so far refused to sell TikTok, meaning many U.S. users could lose access to the app this weekend. The app may still work for those who already have TikTok on their phones, although ByteDance has also threatened to shut the app down.

In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court sided with the Biden administration, upholding the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which President Joe Biden signed in April.

“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the Supreme Court’s opinion said. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”

Supreme Court Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch wrote concurrences.

TikTok’s fate in the U.S. now lies in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump,  who originally favored a TikTok ban during his first administration, but has since flip-flopped on the matter. In December, Trump asked the Supreme Court to pause the law’s implementation and allow his administration “the opportunity to pursue a political resolution of the questions at issue in the case.”

In a post on his social media app Truth Social, Trump wrote that the decision was expected “and everyone must respect it.”

“My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!” Trump wrote.

Trump began to speak more favorably of TikTok after he met in February with billionaire Republican megadonor Jeff Yass. Yass is a major ByteDance investor who also owns a stake in the owner of Truth Social.

Trump will be inaugurated Monday, one day after the TikTok deadline for a sale. TikTok CEO Shou Chew is one of several tech leaders expected to be in attendance, seated on the dais. 

In a video posted on TikTok, Chew thanked Trump “for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available” in the U.S. He said use of TikTok is a First Amendment right, adding that over 7 million American businesses use it to make money and find customers.

“Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to ensure our platform thrives as your online home for limitless creativity and discovery as well as a source of inspiration and joy for years to come,” he said.

It's pretty clear Trump likes TikTok and is going to save it, says LightShed's Rich Greenfield

The nation’s highest court said in the opinion that while “data collection and analysis is a common practice in this digital age,” the sheer size of TikTok and its “susceptibility to foreign adversary control, together with the vast swaths of sensitive data the platform collects” poses a national security concern.

Under the terms of the law, third-party internet service providers such as Apple and Google will be penalized for supporting a ByteDance-owned TikTok after the Jan. 19 deadline.

If service providers and app store owners comply, consumers will be unable to install the necessary updates that make the app functional.

Representatives of TikTok did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Users look for alternatives

Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok, speaks to reporters outside the office of Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) at the Russell Senate Office Building on March 14, 2024 in Washington, DC.

Anna Moneymaker | Getty Images

On Jan. 10, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments from lawyers representing TikTok, content creators and the U.S. government. TikTok’s lead lawyer, Noel Francisco, argued that the law violates the First Amendment rights of the app’s 170 million American users. U.S. Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar argued that the app’s alleged ties to the Chinese government pose a national security threat.  

Many TikTok creators have been telling their fans to find them on competing social platforms such as Google’s YouTube and Meta’s Facebook and Instagram, CNBC reported. Additionally, Instagram leaders scheduled meetings after the Jan. 10 Supreme Court hearing to direct workers to prepare for a wave of users if the court upholds the law.

Chinese social media app and TikTok look-alike RedNote rose to the top of Apple’s app store Monday, indicating that TikTok’s millions of users were seeking alternatives.

The Chinese government also weighed a contingency plan that would have X owner Elon Musk acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations as part of several options intended to keep the app from its effective ban in the U.S., Bloomberg News reported Monday.

Should ByteDance decide to sell TikTok to a U.S. company or group of investors, potential buyers may have to pay between $40 billion and $50 billion, according to an estimate by CFRA Research Senior Vice President Angelo Zino.

WATCH: SCOTUS hears TikTok ban case

TikTok ban's fate is now in the Supreme Court's hands

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Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd to return as CEO

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Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd to return as CEO

Whitney Wolfe Herd speaks onstage in Dana Point, California.

Joe Scarnici | Getty Images Entertainment

Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd will return to the company as CEO, a little more than a year after she stepped down from the role, the company announced Friday.

The company’s current CEO Lidiane Jones has resigned for “personal reasons,” Bumble said. Jones previously served as the CEO of Salesforce’s cloud-based messaging platform Slack. She will continue to helm Bumble until Wolfe Herd takes over in mid-March.

“I am deeply grateful for the transformative work Lidiane has led during such a pivotal time for Bumble, and her leadership has been instrumental in building a strong foundation for our future,” Wolfe Herd said in a statement.

Bumble is a dating app that encourages women to make the first move. Wolfe Herd founded the company in 2014 in an effort to foster a safer online dating community. Bumble went public through a successful initial public offering in 2021, but its market cap has tumbled from its debut of $7.7 billion to around $847 million.

The company said Friday that it expects to report total revenue and Bumble App revenue above the midpoint of its provided outlook ranges for its fourth quarter, and adjusted EBITDA within the disclosed outlook range.

Shares of the company popped 6% in premarket trading on Friday.

In addition to the CEO transition, Bumble said Ann Mather, who serves as a lead director at the company, will become chair of the board of directors.

“We are fortunate to have a passionate and engaged founder in Whitney to drive Bumble’s vision as the Company accelerates the execution of its strategy,” Mather said in a statement.

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Bitcoin gains as Trump reportedly plans crypto executive order

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Bitcoin gains as Trump reportedly plans crypto executive order

Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Images

Bitcoin rejoined the crypto rally on Friday amid reports that President-elect Donald Trump could release an executive order making crypto a national priority as soon as day 1 of his new term.

The price of the flagship cryptocurrency was last higher by more than 2% at $103,174.90, according to Coin Metrics. The broader crypto market, as measured by the CoinDesk 20 index, was up another 1%, after a 4% increase Thursday.

Shares of exchange operators Coinbase and Robinhood advanced about 5% each. Trading activity in small cap cryptocurrencies benefits trading platforms. Appetite for smaller cap, higher risk coins has grown ahead of Trump’s inauguration, with litecoin surging 26% in the past two days.

The moves follow a Bloomberg report late Thursday that Trump could create the crypto advisory council he previously promised, giving the industry a voice within his administration. A bitcoin stockpile is part of discussions about a possible executive order that would cover several areas of crypto policy, the New York Times reported the same day.

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Bitcoin trades above $100,000 ahead of Trump’s inauguration

Coins and crypto projects outside of bitcoin arguably stand to gain more from clear and supportive policy and regulation as they’ve been more of a target of SEC lawsuits and alleged banking discrimination under the Biden administration. Some investors say bitcoin could see a rocket ship rally, however, if a national stockpile or reserve is established.

Bitcoin has been trading closely with stocks so far this year. It’s been in consolidation mode since late December, when Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell sounded an inflation alarm that subsided this week after two cool December inflation reports. Bitcoin ETFs have seen more than $1 billion in inflows in the past two days.

Investors expect any announcements from the incoming administration next week to send bitcoin higher – potentially to a new record. Heightened expectations come after warnings from Wall Street this month that although having a pro-crypto Congress and White House in 2025 is sure to be supportive for innovation in the industry and asset class, it could take a while before the market feels the impact.

“The new administration and a new SEC chairman opens the door for new opportunity in cryptocurrency innovation,” JPMorgan analyst Kenneth Worthington said in a note this week. However, he added, “we don’t see a next wave of cryptocurrency [exchange-traded product] launches as being meaningful for the crypto ecosystem given much smaller market capitalization of other tokens and far lower investor interest.”

Bitcoin’s record is $108,327.01, from Dec. 17. It’s up 9% in 2025.

Don’t miss these cryptocurrency insights from CNBC Pro:

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