Global coverage and a colossal investment, these are the two goals for Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite Internet connection service. Its founder, Elon Musk, spoke about his ambitions during the World Mobile Congress 2021.
Elon Musk intervened this week during the Mobile World Congress 2021, the largest trade fair dedicated to mobile telephony. The CEO of Tesla and of SpaceX detailed his plans for Starlink, its connection service to Internet through satellite. The network already has nearly 1,800 satellites in orbit and 69,240 subscribers in 12 countries, including France.
The next step for this service is to provide global coverage ” everywhere except at the poles By August. Elon Musk hopes to get a total of 500,000 subscribers within a year. The goal is to fill in the white areas, which are not already covered by fiber and 5G. To do this, Starlink needs ground bases. The billionaire entrepreneur said he has partnered with two major telecommunications operators without naming them.
A total investment of $ 30 billion
To achieve this objective, the network will eventually include a total of 12,000 satellites. Elon Musk has revised the costs upwards, forecasting a total investment of between 20 and 30 billion dollars, against “only” 10 billion expected in 2018. According to him, it will be necessary to reach an investment of 5 to 10 billion dollars before that Starlink becomes profitable.
One of the obstacles to the adoption of this technology is the cost of the terminal of 499 euros, to which must be added 99 euros of subscription and 59 euros of commissioning fees. According to Elon Musk, each terminal costs the company more than $ 1,000. However, SpaceX is working on new technology that could lower the sale price to less than $ 300. This could make it more competitive in France, where satellite Internet operators already sell their own connection kits for less than 300 euros.
Starlink soon available worldwide
Article by Sylvain Biget published on 06/24/2021
Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite internet, is entering the final phase of its deployment with the placement of 1,800 satellites in orbit in September.
After the announcement of access to the Starlink service in beta version for many territories, including France, SpaceX is expected to finalize its global coverage in September according to Gwynne Shotwell, the president of the company. At this time, the only brake can only be regulatory. For the moment, the service already has nearly 100,000 subscribers and 500,000 people have already made pre-orders as Futura explained last month.
Since the beginning of the program, during 28 launches, 1,800 satellites have been sent and they are reaching their orbit gradually. It is precisely from September that they should all be in place and operational. If SpaceX manages to keep its schedule – and even go beyond, since it was counting on 200 fewer satellites for the same deadline – it is also thanks to a boost from the communications regulatory agency American (FCC).
A helping hand from the US telecom agency
The agency has allowed SpaceX to place some of its satellites in an orbit lower than that planned in order to cover a greater number of people. It didn’t happen on its own, but with the support of an $ 885 million grant to help Starlink deliver access. very high speed to 35 states of the United States. In the meantime, Starlink’s first customers regularly post photos of their satellite dish installation on Reddit. Moreover, it appears that the high temperatures in certain territories in the United States sometimes prevent the reception system from functioning.
Remember that in France, the service is available in beta for a monthly subscription of 99 euros and the acquisition for 499 euros of a reception system. For this beta version, the speed is currently announced between 50 and 150 Mbps with a latency between 20 and 40 milliseconds. But, as the name of this beta announces, “it’s better than nothing » (Better Than Nothing) because the service aims to deliver a speed of 1 Gbps in the long term.
Starlink’s satellite internet offer is available in France
Article ofEdward Back published on 05/11/2021
SpaceX’s satellite Internet access beta program continues to roll out internationally and is now available in France. The subscription is offered at 99 euros per month, it will require the purchase of equipment, including the satellite dish.
SpaceX, the space company of Elon Musk, continues the worldwide deployment of its satellite Internet access service. The firm launched 60 new satellites on May 9 and said it has received more than 500,000 pre-orders. From now on, registrations at service Starlink are open to the French, and the company is planning near global coverage this year.
Interested parties will have to register fairly quickly, since orders are offered ” for a limited number of users per coverage area According to the website, and will be validated in order of arrival. Starlink announces between 50 and 150 megabits per second in reception and a latency between 20 and 40 milliseconds. These figures should improve as more satellites are launched.
A subscription of 99 euros per month
The service is offered with a monthly subscription of 99 euros per month. It will also take the purchase of equipment at 499 euros, which includes in particular the parable and the Wi-Fi router, and a shipping and handling charge of 59 euros. Starlink requires a deposit of 99 euros to be paid at the time of registration, the remainder being due when the order has been confirmed. Note that the deposit is refundable and does not guarantee access to the service.
Starlink is still in beta, and probably until this summer, according to a tweet by Elon Musk. Currently, the service can only be used at the address for which it was ordered. However, according to another tweet, this should change later in the year after more satellite launches and a software update, which would allow access to the Internet even while camping far from any civilization …
Starlink: the first customers testify about their experience
Article by Edward Back, published on 03/11/2020
The public beta of Starlink, SpaceX’s satellite connection, has just started. The first users are delighted and have shared their impressions on the web, with speeds of up to 174 Mbps.
SpaceX has just started the public beta of Starlink, its satellite Internet access offering. The connection is based on a constellation of satellites. The firm counts more than 800 currently and the total could reach 42,000 in the long term. The first users received their equipment and testified on the Reddit site.
The beta has been baptized Better Than Nothing, is ” better than nothing »In French, because the service currently provided is still far from the final speed which should reach 1 Gbps. For this beta, SpaceX announced between 50 and 150 Mbps and a latency from 20 to 40 milliseconds. Reddit user Wandering-coder brought his equipment to the forest in the state of Idaho, far from any mobile network. It reached 120 Mbps in reception, 12 Mbps in program and a latency of 37 milliseconds.
Up to 174 megabits per second
At home, with the satellite dish placed on the ground, the results are even more promising. It was able to measure 135 Mbps in reception, 25 Mbps in transmission and a latency of only 21 milliseconds. According to him, the streaming, the videoconference and even the games work perfectly. Other users have had similar results. A Montana user even managed to reach 174 Mbps in reception and 33 Mbps in transmission. Throughput is expected to increase as the launch of new satellites.
The service Starlink however, requires an unobstructed environment to be able to achieve such flow rates. Installation is simplified because the dish is able to orient itself automatically. The subscription costs $ 99 per month, to which must be added $ 499 to purchase the equipment. Elon Musk said on Twitter that thousands of new beta invitations are expected to be sent to US customers this week. For Europe, the service could be approved in the first countries as early as February or March 2021.
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