SpaceX's Internet division aims to provide vehicles, planes and ships with the Internet.
1,141 Starlink satellites are currently orbiting our planet. They now supply large parts of North America and Europe with the Internet. SpaceX rockets regularly put new satellites into orbit, increasing Starlink internet coverage.
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has now revealed specific application examples. On Twitter, he announced that Starlink wants to provide vehicles, ships and planes with the Internet in the future.
Surprisingly, Tesla cars will initially not be equipped with Starlink Internet, according to Musk. The receiving terminal, which is necessary for the Starlink supply, is currently still too big.
Not connecting Tesla cars to Starlink, as our terminal is much too big. This is for aircraft, ships, large trucks & RVs.
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 8, 2021
Ships, trucks, planes and caravans in focus
Accordingly, ships, trucks and airplanes should be the first to benefit from the satellite internet connection. According to Musk, caravans would also be big enough for the Starlink receiving station.
Last week, SpaceX applied to the US communications authority, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), for approval to equip vehicles, ships and aircraft with an Internet connection. According to industry observers, this is the first major attempt to build a lucrative business model with Starlink.
Speed will double to ~ 300Mb / s & latency will drop to ~ 20ms later this year
– Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2021
10,000 users, registrations possible
Starlink currently has around 10,000 test users, mainly in North America, but also in the UK. The Starlink receiving facility currently costs $ 499. Add to that $ 99 a month for connection speeds between 70 and 130 Mbps.
Anyone interested in a Starlink reception terminal can register as a test user on the company's website. The prerequisite is, of course, that reception is possible in the desired region. Starlink internet could be offered in Vorarlberg as early as mid-2021.
