Key Highlights
- SpaceX offers initial Starlink satellite internet service at $99/month
- Add upfront cost of $499 to order Starlink Kit that includes user terminal to connect satellites, mounting tripod and WiFi router
SpaceX announced the launch of a public beta test of its emerging satellite internet service called Starlink via email. This “Better Than Nothing Beta” test of initial Starlink service costs $99/month PLUS a $499 upfront cost to order the Starlink Kit. The kit includes a user terminal to connect to the satellites, a mounting tripod and a WiFi router. There is also a Starlink app on both Google Play and Apple iOS app stores (no cost listed).
The Starlink Team said, “Expect to see data speeds vary from 50Mb/s to 150Mb/s and latency from 20ms to 40ms over the next several months as we enhance the Starlink system. There will also be brief periods of no connectivity at all.”
SpaceX’s goal for Starlink is to have an interconnected internet network with thousands of satellites to deliver high-speed usage anywhere on the planet. Since posting a form asking for potential subscribers to complete their contact information and location in June, SpaceX has already received nearly 700,000 inquiries about the service. Revenue estimates for this service, according to company leadership, could generate some $30B/year, more than 10X annual revenue estimates from its rocket business.
Earlier in October, SpaceX and Microsoft partnered up to connect Microsoft’s Azure cloud computing network with the Starlink network. This partnership is pivotal for Microsoft’s new mobile datacenters designed “for customers who need cloud computing capabilities in hybrid or challenging environments, including remote areas.”
Initial services from Starlink’s “Better Than Nothing Beta” program is targeted for the US and Canada in 2020 and for “near global coverage of the populated world by 2021.”
Thanks to CNBC.
