Starlink Internet pricing

[Jamie McKane]

Starlink Internet pricing

SpaceX has revealed that its Starlink satellite Internet will cost early beta testers $99 per month, Engadget reports.

This excludes the cost of the hardware needed to connect to the Starlink network, which SpaceX said will cost an additional $499 as a once-off payment.

 

[KleinBoontjie]

Didn't they say in the beginning, that it was going to be free internet?

 

[Aghori]

Didn't they say in the beginning, that it was going to be free internet?

If they did, then who is going to pay for the costs involved in delivering you free internet? Certainly not Elon or SpaceX.

Edit: I see it is indeed free for Educational institutions and certain people in Texas/USA.

 

[ArmatageShanks]

They have overcome the most important hurdle, latency, I see good things coming.

 

[Gordon_R]

Didn't they say in the beginning, that it was going to be free internet?

The only thing it will be 'free' from is fixed lines, and mobile ISPs.

 

[system32]

Didn't they say in the beginning, that it was going to be free internet?

No they did not.
Starlink is a commercial project.

 

[PAYBACK]

42000 satellites zooming past in low earth orbit. Long exposure night time photography going to be interesting.

 

[KleinBoontjie]

No they did not.
Starlink is a commercial project.

Maybe it was Amazon or Google who mentioned it a while ago.

 

[system32]

Good price - $499 is less than an iPhone 12.

As it stands, there are only six cities – all in the US – where Starlink has ground stations and therefore can access the Starlink product:
<SNIP>
However, it has asked the FCC to ultimately allow it to build 5 million of these ground stations. end user terminals

This is wrong.
FTFY
SpaceX now plans for 5 million 'UFO on a stick' end-user terminals in US, up from 1 million
https://arstechnica.com/information...n-starlink-customers-in-us-up-from-1-million/

SpaceX has made applications to the FCC for at least 32 ground stations in United States, and as of July 2020 has approvals for 5 of them (in 5 states).

The inter-satellite laser links were not ready with the initial batches, it's not explained if user stations will be used to bounce the signal. Starlink recently started testing the space lasers - not sure if the initial batches had the space laser hardware or just not active.

 

[Yskasmetnstoof]

Just lay some fibre, dude...

 

[Yskasmetnstoof]

If they did, then who is going to pay for the costs involved in delivering you free internet? Certainly not Elon or SpaceX.

Edit: I see it is indeed free for Educational institutions and certain people in Texas/USA.

The price may well be space junk on a vast scale. Then we can have plastic in the sea and metal **** in the sky.

 

[Geoff.D]

They have overcome the most important hurdle, latency, I see good things coming.

No one overcomes latency, that is BS!
The claim to fame of ALL LEO systems is reduced latency, comparable to that experienced with terrestrial systems.
The trade off is network complexity with complex hand over/roaming management and control and location of ground station gateways.
In 1949 a professor at MIT wrote a paper in which he listed 5 technical and physics challenges that LEO satellite systems need to overcome before they will ever be a viable method of providing reliable and transparent network connectivity. To date, not ANY of the LEO networks that have been deployed and failed have succeeded in addressing all those 5 things at the same time.
The jury is out on this latest attempt.

 

[system32]

No one overcomes latency, that is BS!
The claim to fame of ALL LEO systems is reduced latency, comparable to that experienced with terrestrial systems.
The trade off is network complexity with complex hand over/roaming management and control and location of ground station gateways.
In 1949 a professor at MIT wrote a paper in which he listed 5 technical and physics challenges that LEO satellite systems need to overcome before they will ever be a viable method of providing reliable and transparent network connectivity. To date, not ANY of the LEO networks that have been deployed and failed have succeeded in addressing all those 5 things at the same time.
The jury is out on this latest attempt.

Actual Starlink speedtest with 18ms rtt.


Once fully deployed Starlink with "space lasers" will have lower latency from ZA to London than fibre.
Lower from NY to London, etc.


This video shows how it will be lower for long distance:

 

[ArmatageShanks]

No one overcomes latency, that is BS!
The claim to fame of ALL LEO systems is reduced latency, comparable to that experienced with terrestrial systems.
The trade off is network complexity with complex hand over/roaming management and control and location of ground station gateways.
In 1949 a professor at MIT wrote a paper in which he listed 5 technical and physics challenges that LEO satellite systems need to overcome before they will ever be a viable method of providing reliable and transparent network connectivity. To date, not ANY of the LEO networks that have been deployed and failed have succeeded in addressing all those 5 things at the same time.
The jury is out on this latest attempt.

I do agree with you, sort of, also for interest sake have a lookie here

 

[system32]

The price may well be space junk on a vast scale. Then we can have plastic in the sea and metal **** in the sky.

The constellation is in LEO ~550km
Without boosting, Starlink satellite will de-orbit in about 2-3 years.
They have ion thrusters to keep them up, and will actively de-orbit at end of life.
If they fail at launch, stage 2 separates at ~285km, they will de-orbit in a few weeks.
The materials used in the starlink are designed to completely burn up on re-entry with no debris reaching ground.

 

[schuits]

42000 satellites zooming past in low earth orbit. Long exposure night time photography going to be interesting.

There have already been complaints from astronomers (?) about the satellites fouling up the night skies. They then made adjustments to decrease the satellites visibility from earth.

I was wondering how these things are effected by storms and such. Does the quality tank when there is a storm for example?

 

[system32]

42000 satellites zooming past in low earth orbit. Long exposure night time photography going to be interesting.

The images we see are when the satellites are at ~300km and reflecting off the solar panel.
They've changed the orientation of the solar panel during assent to address the reflection.
Once they at 550km, this should not be a problem as the panel changes to vertical orientation.
Starlink are testing Visorsat and Darksat as well as the orientation of the solar panel when rising to ~550km

I guess it's the night time photographers vs ~3 billion people in remote/rural areas that don't have access to the internet.

 

[Scooby_Doo]

They have overcome the most important hurdle, latency, I see good things coming.

If we can have this in SA... Local market is in for a shock.

 

[Not_original]

Actual Starlink speedtest with 18ms rtt.
View attachment 941666

Once fully deployed Starlink with "space lasers" will have lower latency from ZA to London than fibre.
Lower from NY to London, etc.
View attachment 941668

This video shows how it will be lower for long distance:

Who needs SA gameservers when you have StarSAT, aint getting no records of me SABC. I'll be rolling straight from Amazon and you'll see me playing faraway fro servers screens needing licenses

 

[LCBXX]

Haters gonna hate.

This initiative is awesome; it will liberate so many people who cannot get internet connectivity.

Expect governments to try and stifle access.