SpaceX is expanding the beta testing of its Starlink internet service. It will cost US$99/month with a US$499 fee up front to cover the Starlink Kit (via CNBC).
Starlink Internet Access
The Starlink Kit will include a terminal to connect to the satellites, a tripod on which to mount the device, and a Wi-Fi router. A Starlink app is also now available on the App Store. The email that some people received from the company says people can expect to see data speeds form 50MB/s to 150MB/s and latency from 20ms to 40 ms, with some brief periods with no connectivity.
Starlink is SpaceX’s plan to build an interconnected internet network with thousands of satellites, designed to deliver high-speed internet to anywhere on the planet. The network is an ambitious endeavor, which SpaceX has said will cost about $10 billion or more to build. But the company’s leadership estimates that Starlink could bring in as much as $30 billion a year, or more than 10 times the annual revenue of its rocket business.