More than 10,000 people in the US and abroad get their internet through a network of SpaceX satellites, says the Elon Musk-led company.
The missile construction company praised the number in an application to the Federal Communications Commission for wanting to expand the Starlink satellite Internet service.
“Starlink’s performance is neither theoretical nor experimental,” SpaceX wrote in its Wednesday filing, adding that “the network’s performance is rapidly accelerating in real time as part of the public beta program” launched in October.
SpaceX wants to provide access to high-speed internet in rural areas with Starlink, which costs $ 99 per month plus $ 499 for the equipment needed to connect to the network. The company said in August 2020 that “nearly 700,000 individuals” had expressed interest in Starlink.
While SpaceX warned early Starlink customers that the service could be spotty, the company said it “fetches and exceeds” speeds of 100 megabits per second.
Starlink continues to improve as SpaceX implements additional infrastructure and capabilities, averaging two Starlink launches per month, to add significant on-orbit capability in addition to activation of additional gateways to improve performance and extend service coverage across the country. “SpaceX told the FCC.
In the filing, SpaceX asked the FBI to designate it as an “Eligible
Telecommunications Carrier, ”which needs to provide Starlink service in seven states, including New York and Tennessee.
SpaceX has gained access to those states through an FCC auction to bring broadband internet to rural areas, CNBC said.