Some in the Alpine municipality of Leuk is the Swiss canton of Valais are pushing back against a plan to install 40 Starlink antennas on a hill above the village, reported SRF. The antennas will belong to SpaceX, an American firm run by Elon Musk, a business man and controversial political figure disliked by many.
The proposal, submitted in May by Signalhorn AG—a German communications firm acting on SpaceX’s behalf—would see the antennas added to an existing site already equipped with large satellite dishes. The project is intended to expand the Starlink satellite internet network, with the new antennas serving as ground gateways. Each antenna would stand around 2.5 metres high, enclosed in a protective dome.
Despite the site’s existing infrastructure, the announcement has stirred unease. At a public information session hosted by Signalhorn, more than 100 residents attended to voice their concerns. We were shocked, said Hanna Schnyder, a local doctor, who cited a May 2025 WHO study that refrained from declaring high-frequency electromagnetic radiation entirely harmless. We don’t want to become the most irradiated area in Switzerland, she said.
Schnyder is one of the founders of a new local opposition group that is collecting signatures and intends to file a formal objection to the building permit.
Security has also emerged as a sticking point. Some worry that the site could become a strategic target in a military conflict. Others argue the project poses a reputational risk for the municipality because Musk’s name is associated with it.
Mayor Alain Bregy, is dismissive of the objections. According to him, people raised the same health concerns about the old antennas, and those ones have higher emissions. He sees the project as a potential boost to the local economy.
The deadline for formal objections to the permit application expires at the end of June. Should the opposition formally materialise, as seems likely, the plan may be delayed—or possibly grounded altogether.
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SRF article (in German)
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