It was this way until very recently, google "starlink lasers". The newer satellites have satellite-to-satellite laser links which can form a chain until they reach a satellite that is presently overhead of an earth station. SpaceX has now started selling the global ocean maritime product version of starlink which specifically advertises full ocean coverage worldwide. I recently saw a person's first hand experience of successfully using Starlink on a cross ocean voyage from Polynesia to Ecuador.
Most starlink traffic still is "up and back down again" to a satellite that's moving while simultaneously in view of the CPE and a starlink-run earth station.
That's neat. I remember that being the original intent, but it wasn't quite working yet. I think there was a tech demo where they were talking about transatlantic FPS gaming, and how ground -> satellite -> straight line to satellite -> ground had less latency than the great circle path on the ocean floor? I never ran the numbers to see if that's true, but is that something customers have access to today? Or are they just using the intersatellite links to provide coverage to oceanic regions that are a couple of hops away from a ground station?
Is the Starlink service geofenced to cutoff where Starlink doesn't have a telco license? Like if the maritime product finds itself sailing within the EEZ of a country that hasn't issued a telco operator license, will the service shut off?
Starlink is live in all of terrestrial Iran right now if you can smuggle a terminal in, and have an accepted foreign method of billing. Whether they choose to geofence certain areas seems arbitrary right now.
There is Starlink Residential which only works in approved countries and can’t move. There is Starlink Roam which works anywhere on land. They supposedly restrict it far from land but not sure if acutally limit it.
Most starlink traffic still is "up and back down again" to a satellite that's moving while simultaneously in view of the CPE and a starlink-run earth station.