Unexpected benefits of Starlink: bringing high-speed internet on planes, ships and trucks

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet broadcasting system has an advantage that no telecommunications company can compete against, broadcasting the internet directly to the mobile means below. That is why, the company is filing with the FCC Federal Information Commission for permission to provide internet service for mobile vehicles, a lucrative business that goes far beyond providing internet to regions. rural America.

These are all vehicles that have never been to the internet before or are also very limited, including buses, trucks, ships and planes.

With the new Starlink service, users ” no longer have to give up their connection while on the move, whether they are driving a truck across the country, or on a train from Europe to the US or on a domestic flight. as international . ” However, cars, even Tesla cars, have to wait a long time to be able to provide this service when the ” receiver is too big ” to be placed on it.

With more than 1,000 satellites in outer space, SpaceX’s Starlink service has had at least 10,000 customers for its beta program since the end of last year. The program is targeting rural areas of the United States, where the internet is not yet available. Starlink receiver kit costs $ 499 with a monthly subscription fee of $ 99. For this fee, users get internet speeds from 70 to 130 Mbps.

Although SpaceX did not give details about the antenna to receive signals on mobile vehicles, but only generally said that its electronic design ” is identical to that of previously licensed user equipment, but have mounting brackets that allow them to be mounted on vehicles, ships and aircraft . ”

The fact that Starlink can provide internet for these means is not surprising to many people. Late last year, SpaceX applied to the FCC for a license to provide internet for Gulfstream high-speed jets. Before that, in 2018, the US Air Force signed a contract with SpaceX to test the internet provision for this force to coordinate combat among services.

Currently, the ability to use the internet on means of transport such as aircraft and ships is often very limited and expensive, and the speed is slow. But with the dense network of extraterrestrial satellites like SpaceX’s Starlink, this is no longer a problem. With countless planes, ships, and trucks moving around the world without internet, this is clearly a much more fertile land than supplying internet to remote rural areas.

Refer to The Verge