SpaceX began its public beta program for its Starlink satellite internet last October and according to a public filing, the service now has ‘over 10,000 users in the US and abroad.’
‘Starlink’s performance is not theoretical or experiment… [and] is rapidly accelerating in real time as part of its public beta program,’ SpaceX wrote in the Thursday filing with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The Elon Musk-owned firm also reveals Starlink’s service is ‘meeting and exceeding 100/20 megabits per second (Mbps) throughout individual users’ and many are seeing latency ‘at or below 31 milliseconds.’
The public beta program, which is available in the US, Canada and the UK, has a $99 a month fee, plus an up-front cost of $499 for the Starlink Kit that includes the ‘UFO on a stick’ terminal, mounting tripod and WiFi router.
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SpaceX began its public beta program for its Starlink satellite internet last October and according to a public filing, the service now has ‘over 10,000 users in the US and abroad
SpaceX launched the first batch of 60 Starlink satellites on May 23, 2019 and today, the constellation includes 1,095 devices.
The firm plans to launch at least 2,200 satellites over the next five years in order to offer a global broadband service covering even the most remote areas of the world.
Along with revealing its current number of users, SpaceX also petitions the FCC to be listed as an ‘Eligible Telecommunications Carrier’ (ETC), which would enable the firm to receive federal funds.
This would include money from the FCC’s Rural Digital Opportunities Fund (RDOF), which is a $20.4 billion fund aimed at unleashing high-speed internet across the US, with a focus on rural areas.
The Elon Musk-owned firm also reveals Starlink’s service is ‘meeting and exceeding 100/20 megabits per second (Mbps) throughout individual users’ and many are seeing latency ‘at or below 31 milliseconds’
The public beta program, which is available in the US, Canada and the UK, has a $99 a month fee, plus an up-front cost of $499 for the Starlink Kit that includes the ‘UFO on a stick’ terminal, mounting tripod and WiFi router
‘Expedited designation of Starlink Services as an ETC in the Service Areas will serve the public interest by ensuring that the Starlink Services is eligible to receive federal USF support, including the RDOF support it won through the auction, and to expand broadband coverage in and throughout the Service Areas,’ SpaceX states in the filing.
SpaceX also highlights it received this designation to provide service areas in ‘Alabama, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.’
And this access was awarded to Musk’s firm under the FRDOF.
Last December. the FCC awarded SpaceX with nearly $900 million in federal subsidies in the first phase of the auction.
‘Starlink Services respectfully requests that the Commission grant this petition by June 7, 2021 in order for Starlink Services to meet the Commission’s deadline for ETC designation for the purposes of receiving RDOF support.’
The firm continues with how ETC designation will benefit users.
‘Activate Starlink service in areas with fewer users than would otherwise be economically justified, enabling broadband coverage even to the least densely populated areas,’ reads the filing.
‘Accelerated production means more people receive service faster in the unserved areas where SpaceX placed winning bids.’
Early adopters of the service found the space found the space broadband is ‘streaming 1440p and 4K with zero buffering’ and a screen shot from another customer shows latency speed of 38 milliseconds.
Early adopters of the service found the space found the space broadband is ‘streaming 1440p and 4K with zero buffering’ and a screen shot from another customer shows latency speed of 38 milliseconds
SpaceX has ramped up its Starlink mission, with the goal of sending new batches of satellites into orbit every week – and sometimes twice a week. The firm’s latest launch took off Thursday (pictured), which brought the satellite constellation to more than 1,000 devices
In November, Twitter user Kenneth Auchenberg shared a post about his experience: ‘Results from a Starlink beta tester in Washington state.’
‘Streaming 1140p and 4K with zero buffering on YouTube.’
Auchenberg explained on Reddit that the terminal is atop his roof and has been ‘getting steady high speeds.’
‘Noticed a couple of interruptions, probably from satellite transitions, but almost 100% steady since initial setup,’ reads the post.
‘I actually uploaded this post using Starlink.’
Another customer, who lives in Montana, shared a screen shot from the app that shows the service is providing download speeds of 174.21 Mbps and upload speeds of 33.40 Mbps.
SpaceX has ramped up its Starlink mission, with the goal of sending new batches of satellites into orbit every week – and sometimes twice a week.
The firm’s latest launch took off Thursday, which brought the satellite constellation to more than 1,000 devices.
A second launch was set for Friday, but will remain grounded until at least Sunday.