SpaceX’s Starlink internet will cost $99 a month, as per a CNBC email screenshot.
It is an unexpected figure, but then again, what not to expect from Mr. Musk’s company. It is a competitive figure keeping in mind other slow and expensive satellite broadband service options available in some rural parts of America.
CNBC Screenshot Reveals Starlink Satellite Internet To Cost $99
As low as $99, the per month connectivity rate, if confirmed, will come as part of the initial beta tests of Musk’s company. Other than this, the participants will have to buy a Starlink Kit worth $499 to get connected.
A terminal, a wifi router, and a mounting tripod will come along with the kit once released as per CNBC reports. A Starlink application for smartphones will put the satellite internet to action.
Starlink’s ‘Better Than Nothing Beta’
The emails read beta tests as “Better Than Nothing Beta,” a title related to Musk’s “just-another-engineer” naming convention. And the title itself recommends keeping the initial expectations low.
Starlink team’s email said that internet speeds range from 50 to 150 megabits per second should meet most needs. The team also claimed a lower latency standard, ranging between 20 and 40 milliseconds.
SpaceX staff have tested the service for months using an internal beta. The company already has an exceptional demand for a public-facing beta with around seven hundred thousand people interested.
Rolling out Starlink service
SpaceX’s Starlink service depends on a fast-growing network of microsatellites stationed in low-Earth orbit. As per the information, SpaceX has sent nearly 900 internet satellites into orbit. However, it is a small fraction, given the mega-constellation needed for global internet service.
A description from Starlink’s application reads they are close to offering global internet coverage by 2021. It is constant news, and social media platforms are seeing numerous debates on the topic, it won’t be wrong to say that it will soon become a reality.
