Musk’s SpaceX launched its “Starlink First Experience” program to the public six months ago, according to a news release from technology media on Friday, April 16. In just a few months, it has grown to more than 10,000 users. These users are located in 13 states in Canada and the United States, most of them in rural or remote areas. Starlink Internet costs just $99 a month and offers Internet speeds of 200 Mbps.
SpaceX’s Starlink project aims to build a space-based satellite Internet network consisting of thousands of satellites. They are known in the space industry as “constellations” to provide high-speed Internet service to consumers anywhere on Earth.
SpaceX launched the Starlink Internet public beta program for the public last October. The beta version of the service is priced at $99 per month, with an upfront cost of $499 for the hardware equipment customers need to connect to the network, plus taxes, shipping and accessories to install the antenna.
SpaceX is pricing user equipment well below its actual cost. The company currently covers about two-thirds of the cost of customer equipment. Most customers believe the plan is fairly priced and cheaper than other satellite broadband services and terrestrial options, especially given the average speed of Starlink Internet service.
The Starlink kit that the company sends to customers includes four key components: a user terminal, tripod, Wi-Fi router and power supply. One user said, “Unless there’s a widespread hailstorm, I don’t see how this thing will take much damage.”
SpaceX told the Federal Communications Commission in February that the Starlink Internet service has download speeds of “more than” 100 Mbps, upload speeds of more than 20 Mbps and latency of “no more than 31 milliseconds.”
Musk promised earlier this year that Starlink Internet performance would continue to improve as SpaceX launches more satellites. Later this year, Starlink speeds will double to about 300 Mbps, with latency remaining more consistently in the 20-millisecond range.
Most users interviewed said their use of multiple devices had no impact on the quality or speed of service, and their supporting hardware devices performed very well. Starlink’s antennas continue to work in high winds, rainfall and snowstorms.
The service is a major benefit for people in rural areas, and SpaceX has already begun accepting reservations for Starlink Internet service, with more of the southern United States expected to receive service in the coming year. Many users are currently excited about having access to a new high-speed service.
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