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SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet surpasses 400,000 subscribers globally

Hamartia Antidote

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400,000*($99/mo*12) = $475,200,000 year

  • Elon Musk’s SpaceX told the Federal Communications Commission in a presentation last week that its Starlink satellite internet service now has over 400,000 subscribers around the world.
  • In March, the company said Starlink had about 250,000 subscribers, including consumers and enterprise customers.
  • The satellite network serves 36 countries so far and is aiming to add customers in most of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East next year.

Elon Musk’s SpaceX told federal regulators in a presentation last week that its Starlink satellite internet service now has over 400,000 subscribers around the world.

The disclosure indicates the company is steadily growing subscribers for the service, which began in October 2020. Two months ago, Starlink said it had about 250,000 subscribers. At the start of this year, it said it had about 145,000 subscribers. The figures include both individual consumers and businesses.


Starlink is SpaceX’s network of satellites in low Earth orbit, designed to deliver high-speed internet anywhere on the globe. Through thousands of satellites, SpaceX is building a system to deliver faster connectivity across a wider coverage area than traditional broadband satellites.

SpaceX’s presentation, made during a call with the Federal Communications Commission on May 19, noted that the Starlink service is active in 48 U.S. states. The satellite network is available in 36 countries so far and the the company is aiming to expand service to most of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East next year.

An availability map on SpaceX’s Starlink website now shows only a handful of countries where the service is not listed as “coming soon:” Afghanistan, Belarus, Cuba. China, Iran, North Korea. Russia, Syria, and Venezuela.

SpaceX has launched about 2,500 Starlink satellites to support its global network.

The company expanded its Starlink service options this year. Starlink’s base service is $110 a month, excluding the $599 up-front cost for hardware. A premium option costs $500 per month, plus a $2,500 for hardware. The company also recently added a “portability” fee of $25 per month for users who relocate their satellite antenna, as well as a “Starlink for RVs” option that lets customers pause service on a month-to-month basis.

The company is also expanding into the inflight Wi-Fi market and signed deals with air carriers Hawaiian Airlines and JSX to add Starlink antennas on aircraft. Pending regulatory approval, SpaceX expects to begin delivering service to commercial aircraft in about a year.
 
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May 13, 2022





May 27, 2022

Starlink approved in Nigeria and Mozambique, says Elon Musk​

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced the regulatory clearance in Africa via Twitter a few hours after tweeting that Starlink had been approved in the Philippines, the first country in Southeast Asia to grant it permission to provide services.

Starlink’s regulatory approvals mean the low Earth orbit network “is now licensed on all seven continents,” SpaceX’s Twitter account added.

Nigeria-based publication Nairametrics reported that the Nigerian Communications Commission confirmed it had licensed Starlink following Musk’s tweet.

According to the Nairametrics report, Starlink was licensed as an internet service provider (ISP), which is a category terrestrial telcos also fall into, and the license will be up for renewal in 10 years.

Starlink has been working to secure regulatory approval in Nigeria for at least a year.

NCC said in a news release last year that SpaceX executives had met with the regulator May 6, 2021, to discuss providing Starlink services. The Nigerian telecoms regulator said SpaceX sent a delegation to the country after holding discussions virtually over the previous several months.

Mozambique’s telecoms regulator INCM said in a Feb. 22 news release that it intended to deliver a license for Starlink services Feb. 23.

“One of Starlink’s big bets is to provide ultra-fast broadband to the African Continent by the end of 2022, which will allow expansion to a greater number of people and places, with emphasis on rural areas and others not served until today,” INCM said in the news release.

Starlink’s coverage map currently shows plans to start providing services to Africa — and the majority of regions where the network is currently unavailable — in 2023.
 
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They will be giving out Starlink spyware to everyone for free in coming times. Just like those voice activated speakers alexa(?)
 
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Last week, Arcep—France’s telecoms regulator—granted SpaceX’s Starlink Internet Services Limited authorization to use radio frequencies for a network open to the public so it can provide fixed internet access via satellite.

Starlink also requested authorization to use frequencies linked to Gateway Earth Station (GES), which contributes to its network’s operations. The frequencies linked to GES allow Starlink satellites to connect to its terrestrial network. The President of the Electronic Communications Regulatory Authority (Arcep) approved the internet provider’s request.
 
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Good accessibility , high latency.
Great for downloads not great for anything else.
 
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Not really, maybe fiber optics are better but in my understanding most of the US has shit internet
Fiber optics are similar in the physics of it with less distance and low transmission attenuation due to a closed insulated system.

Due to attenuation the some bandwidth would be used to synchronize packet losses as well, for the satellite transmission.

The distance between the client and the end node(satellite) is very large, the distance between peers(client to satellite to peer( or isp) and back) is 2x in parallel and 4x if queued
the nature of the setup screams high latency.

This has its use cases , but dosent replace fiber.
 
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May 13, 2022





May 27, 2022

Starlink approved in Nigeria and Mozambique, says Elon Musk​

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced the regulatory clearance in Africa via Twitter a few hours after tweeting that Starlink had been approved in the Philippines, the first country in Southeast Asia to grant it permission to provide services.

Starlink’s regulatory approvals mean the low Earth orbit network “is now licensed on all seven continents,” SpaceX’s Twitter account added.

Nigeria-based publication Nairametrics reported that the Nigerian Communications Commission confirmed it had licensed Starlink following Musk’s tweet.

According to the Nairametrics report, Starlink was licensed as an internet service provider (ISP), which is a category terrestrial telcos also fall into, and the license will be up for renewal in 10 years.

Starlink has been working to secure regulatory approval in Nigeria for at least a year.

NCC said in a news release last year that SpaceX executives had met with the regulator May 6, 2021, to discuss providing Starlink services. The Nigerian telecoms regulator said SpaceX sent a delegation to the country after holding discussions virtually over the previous several months.

Mozambique’s telecoms regulator INCM said in a Feb. 22 news release that it intended to deliver a license for Starlink services Feb. 23.

“One of Starlink’s big bets is to provide ultra-fast broadband to the African Continent by the end of 2022, which will allow expansion to a greater number of people and places, with emphasis on rural areas and others not served until today,” INCM said in the news release.

Starlink’s coverage map currently shows plans to start providing services to Africa — and the majority of regions where the network is currently unavailable — in 2023.
The world map coverage of countries involved doesn't look very impressive... Only a few small corner of globe endorse it...
 
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The world map coverage of countries involved doesn't look very impressive... Only a few small corner of globe endorse it...

There's only 2,400 of 42,000 satellites. There isn't world coverage yet. Notice the line of no coverage going through the middle of Australia.

coverageLine.png

This doesn't mean Starlink was declared off limits in the northern part.
 
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