Elon Musk who is the founder of Tesla and one of the most admired tech billionaires in the world has come out with an ambitious plan that can lead to a revolution for the internet. Starlink is a new satellite internet service and a lot of pre-orders are already underway. The internet service has promised to deliver great broadband speed up of up to 300 Mbps to any person on this whole world irrespective of where they might be.
Customer reviews are also very much positive as they report having improved internet speed instantly. Most rural places are loving this innovation as it giving them the ability to connect more, children are able to attend an online lecture, streaming content is easier and more.
In August 2021, Elon Musk was able to bring SpaceX’s stock valuation to up to $ 74 billion which is 60 % up all because of Starlink’s pre-orders. This clearly shows that the investors have given a thump’s up too. SpaceX is launching more and more satellites every month which is helping to get better service across various places like Canada, the US, and parts of Europe. Recently news broke out that SpaceX had launched 1,000 Starlink satellites and is aiming to launch a total of 12,000 satellites to be fully operational.
The ultimate goal of Starlink is to have about 8,000 satellites orbiting just 500km above the planet and the rest 4,000 orbiting higher up at around 1,200 km. So, it is happening in phases.
It is believed that Starlink should be fully operational from this year itself although according to the Starlink website it is said that the coverage won’t be available until mid-2021 for some reasons.
Starlink is wireless which is also the modern way as most internet provides still over cable or wired-based internet service.
Starlink Website Link: https://www.starlink.com/
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Pricing of Starlink?
Around 10,000 people have already enrolled for the public beta test which was launched last year and they are mostly from the US, Canada, and the UK.
Currently, the Starlink pre-orders are costing $ 99 a month but the service will also require an up-front hardware fee of $ 499. That will include a little satellite dish that can be set up in the office or houses, also a router and power supply. There will also be additional shipping and handling fee of $ 50.
So, if you want to pre-order, all it will require is a $ 99 refundable deposit. Also, the order fulfillment can take six months or even more.
Reviews from Starlink Users:
Most users say that they have achieved decent internet speed with an upload speed of 20 Mbps and a download speed of 100 Mbps. The latency is below or at an average of 31 milliseconds which is based on 95 % of measurement. The response till now is very much positive and impressive too.
Director Jesse Senko resides in rural Ontario in Canada where his internet speed was average. He put forth his view about how massively his workflow has upgraded with the help of Starlink. He made a full video on his YouTube channel where he has 1.11 k subscribers. Another very popular YouTube channel Linus Tech Tips also made a video about how he could stream four 4k videos all at once and could successfully play the game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive with little to no issues.
In areas of Missouri, some users are reporting their download speed reaching 150 Mbps.
Many of the users have mentioned that they agree that they pay more for Starlink but they feel it’s worth all the money.
Other news related to Starlink:
Many people are keen to find out when the Starlink IPO will go live. Elon Musk and his team are planning a Starlink IPO, but it would only come after SpaceX has a more predictable cashflow.
Starlink broadband pre-order or pre-registration is now also available in India at $ 99 or around Rs 7,2000 when converted to Indian rupees. To pre-order, you can visit the official website of Starlink and check for the availability of the service in your area. It is to be kept in mind that orders will be fulfilled on a first come first serve basis and also there is a limited number of users in the coverage area which is also limited. Once you reach the payment page you will be asked for your personal details like phone number, email id, credit or debit card details. Once the payment is done keep handy the billing information for future reference. The company has also stated that the registration amount is refundable.
Starlink has also faced some criticism as they have planned a large number of satellites so concerns of light pollution among the astronomical community have cropped up. They are worried that the number of stars in the sky will be outnumbered by satellites in the future. Official statements by International Astronomical Union (IAU), Square Kilometre Array Organisation (SKAO), and National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) expressing their concern on this matter. On this matter, Elon Musk and SpaceX representatives have said that there will be minimal impact and they will also work on reducing the albedo of the satellites and will also provide on-demand orientation adjustments for astronomical experiments. They also announced that the Starlink company would introduce a new sunshade that is specially designed to reduce the brightness of the Starlink satellites.
Some scientists also pointed out that Starlink satellites could add to the space debris which will result in a risk of causing satellite collision and potentially also trigger a phenomenon known as the Kessler syndrome.
In conclusion, we feel Starlink is a great project that can help anyone across the earth to achieve better internet connectivity.
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