Starlink: Elon Musk’s new ambitious project for the world’s Internet

Although we have been able to use some traditional satellite internet connections, the technology is about to experience a huge leap. Elon Musk and his company, SpaceX, is ready to launch a new generation of satellite-based internet access for the world. His name behind this project alone can guarantee how big the project is going to be, let alone his fantastic team who recently launched a rocket into space in partnership with NASA. The project name is Starlink. You may hear about it more from now on.

Starlink will deliver high-speed broadband internet to even furthest locations. The possibility will be in the public’s hands starting from Northern America.

In the United States alone, the tendency to follow Starlink’s upcoming news has been unbelievably high, though in a short period of time. Over 700,000 individuals across the United States have signed their emails on Starlink’s website to stay tuned for future announcements. This enthusiasm alone shows how much people demand such technology.

When does Starlink launch?

SpaceX has announced that the project will cover the Northern United States and Canada in 2020. “The facility will expand to almost global coverage of the populated world in a flash by 2021,” the technology website says.

How many user terminals?

Since the interest has been much greater than expected, SpaceX has filed a request to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and asked to increase the number of user terminals from 1 million to 5 million.

User terminals are the devices that are supposed to receive the internet that Starlink satellites are beaming. Consumers need to use these terminals to get connected to the satellite.

Starlink user terminal — SpaceX

How many satellites?

Starlink project is as big as the company behind is planning to build an interconnected network of 12,000 small satellites. These satellites are going to beam high-speed internet in the world.

So far, Elon Musk and SpaceX have launched more than 500 Starlink satellites to space. Apart from getting the satellites to revolve around the earth, SpaceX needs to prepare numerous on-earth stations along with affordable user terminals to launch the project and make it cost-effective.

Starlink beta program

SpaceX is going to launch a private beta test for its Starlink service as soon as this summer. The program will be followed by public testing, as the company says.

How fast is Starlink Internet speed?

Elon Musk claims Starlink internet speed is able to compete with the existing earth-bound services. He announced in March that the network will offer a latency even lower than 20 milliseconds. At this speed, you can play video games and high-definition videos with a super-fast response.

Additionally, Elon Musk has noted that the technology will only be suitable for low-density areas rather than high-density urban areas. Keep in mind that high-density urban areas are currently under completely acceptable coverage of broadband and cellular networks. This is because the size of the cells on the satellites are currently not enough to support a vast majority of consumers.

Expenses and incomes for SpaceX

Starlink project will draw huge amounts of money to SpaceX. One of the company’s authorities has recently revealed that the project will cost the company about $10 billion or more to prepare the network. SpaceX has achieved the required funding from investors during the past years.

In case of success, SpaceX has encouraged the investors that the project will make a $1 trillion total addressable market. Furthermore, Morgan Stanley has recently said that the company’s valuation may reach $175 billion if the project prospers. The current valuation is as huge as $44 billion.

Starlink internet coverage

For now, SpaceX is planning to launch the beta program only in the Northern U.S. and the south of Canada. The current constellation shows the service will be available between 44 and 52 degrees latitude.

Users need to have a vivid view of the northern sky to be eligible for the beta service. What’s more, the population of the area also affects whether the authorities will select a user or not.

How to sign up for the service

The sign-up process is so simple. You can provide your email address in the Starlink website to show your interest in the service. Starlink will notify you about the upcoming news of the technology thereafter. Apart from that, you will make sure if your dwelling place lies in the coverage area of the service.