It looks like Elon Musk is thinking beyond 1 percent as SpaceX’s new one The Federal Communications Commission petition aims to offer lower-cost phone plans to people on lower incomes through Starlink. In the petition, Starlink is seeking designation as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier (ETC) under the Communications Act.
For now, the beta version of Starlink includes only broadband, but SpaceX has specified in the filing that it plans to sell Voice over IP (VoIP) services that are ‘(a) voice-activated access to the public switched telephone network (‘ PSTN ‘) or functionally equivalent; (b) minutes of usage for local service provided to end users at no additional cost; (c) access to emergency services; and (d) toll limit services for eligible low-income consumers. “
The filing also shows that Starlink now has more than 10,000 customers in the US and abroad. However, the company should have the capacity for several million customers, as the company is allowed to deploy up to 1 million satellite dishes.
Founded and created by SpaceX, Starlink Services will provide the world’s first super-fast, low-latency satellite internet service, coordinating the world’s largest fleet of operational satellites to provide consistent service to the world’s most unconnected areas, including those in the United States, ”SpaceX writes ambitiously in its petition.
The company also adds that it is the world’s first super-fast, low-latency internet service provider. Currently, a subscription to Starlink costs $ 99 per month. It also comes with an initial fee of $ 499 for the user terminal, mounting tripod and router.
It goes without saying that this amount should be significantly reduced for homes with a low income. SpaceX did mention a Lifeline plan that would cost $ 9.25 per month for broadband and $ 5.25 per month for phone services.
However, it added that it currently has no Lifeline customers as “only carriers designated as an ETC can participate in the Lifeline program.” I think we’ll just have to wait and see what offers will be available if the petition goes through.