Having worked with the satellite industry many years back, we spent a lot of discussing orbits, rollouts, spectrum, business case, etc. Starlink was the company we heard least from, at least in events, conferences, webinars, etc. The interesting thing is that Starlink is already delivering the results while others are still be debating the details and are yet to deliver the output.
SpaceX has just successfully deployed another 60 Starlink satelllites to orbit.
— Remo Uherek (@remouherek) March 4, 2021
250 satellites have been deployed in 2021 so far, bringing the total number of Starlinks in orbit to 1,141.
This is another potentially trillion dollar venture by @elonmusk built in plain sight. pic.twitter.com/Eer4SxOTNr
With 250 satellites already deployed in 2021, the total number of satellites have reached to 1,141. The eventual aim is to have over 40K satellites.
During the beta period, Starlink customers can expect data speeds between 50Mbps and 150Mbps with latencies ranging from 20 to 40ms in most locations. The good news is that Starlink doesn’t have any data caps at the moment and hopefully will continue to do so.
Speed test in the morning with my previous provider and in the afternoon after Starlink setup. Unreal! pic.twitter.com/a0X0CaUTeS
— Izzy ðšðŠ (@Izzy_in_Ottawa) March 2, 2021
You can see in the tweet above, why Starlink is already a gamechanger but that is not all. The whole setup process is very simple and it can take just 15 minutes to get online. I found this video below very interesting as it shows the unboxing and setup process.
As explained in the video, the antenna will detect and melt snow that falls directly on it to help prevent outages and interruptions since Starlink does require a clear view of the sky to connect. Starlink has a free mobile app that walks you through the entire setup. It also lets you use your phone camera to find the best location for the Starlink antenna. Another cool feature from the result of the Starlink antenna receiving power from the black cable is it’s not only used to melt snow but it’s also used to power the tilt motor which automatically adjusts the angle of the antenna to sync up with the nearest satellite so you don’t need to manually position the antenna angle.
During the current beta period, Starlink monthly internet service costs $99/month + a one time fee of $499 for the required Starlink kit which comes with everything you need to get started: wireless router, POE injector, network cables, mounting tripod, and Starlink antenna. There is a delivery fee and the costs in other parts of the world is sort of the same but in local currency and taxes.
#starlink is taking pre-orders in the UK. Quite pricey and will be under test during 2021 so cannot depend on it just yet. Quoted best performance is 150Mbps and 20ms latency which is good for anyone stuck on #FTTC and needing more. pic.twitter.com/JOyzPqADJM
— Ben Toner (@Ben__Toner) February 23, 2021
In case you were wondering what Spectrum does Starlink use, the picture of network architecture below hopefully explains it.
Last year SpaceX had announced that they will mount a sun visor on each of its Starlink satellites and have them perform controlled maneuvers, to make them less visible to members of the astronomy community making detailed observations of the night sky. You can read the details and see pics here.
This tweet was sent through space! #Starlink @SpaceX
— Innectic (@Innectic) March 6, 2021
Super cool! Definitely the best internet I've EVER had so far pic.twitter.com/CpYaqQzxD1
The whole process from ordering Starlink Internet to setting it up is simple and straightforward. The tweet above is another example of how users who have been deprived or a reasonable connectivity can dream of a connected future.
I'm frequently asked whether Starlink's satellite constellation will provide a real alternative to terrestrial cellular phone service. My answer is no. There are laaa-t-e-nc-y and ind_or rec_pt__n pr_blems that aren't easily solved, and increase with more users being added.
— Dr Jonathan L Kramer (@DrJLKramer) March 7, 2021
The final point, as you can see in the Tweet above, there are challenges that will have to be solved once more people start using the service. This won't be the first time though when people are skeptical. Many such things existed during 4G/LTE deployments and the challenges were resolved. I expect the same for this service. Surely we will hear a lot more from and about SpaceX and Starlink in future.
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