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| Starlink has more than 10,000 users |
SpaceX revealed in a public document that its Starlink satellite internet service now has more than 10,000 users in the United States and abroad.
SpaceX wrote in an article she submitted to the FCC: The Starlink service is neither theoretical nor experimental and is rapidly accelerating in real time as part of its public beta program.
The company launched a public beta plan for Starlink in October, with a subscription price of $ 99 per month. A pre-order of $ 499 was also placed for Starlink equipment (including user terminals and satellite wireless routers).
The company serves some clients in the northern United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Starlink is an ambitious project for SpaceX that will use thousands of satellites to build an interconnected internet and aims to provide high-speed internet to consumers around the world.
Two years ago, the Federal Communications Commission approved the launch of SpaceX, which can launch up to 11,943 satellites. The company's goal is to put 4,425 satellites into orbit by 2024.
In the document, SpaceX indicated that single-user service has reached and exceeded 100Mbps, while the response time for most users is less than 31ms.
A Starlink customer base update was proposed in an FCC petition asking SpaceX to designate the Starlink service as a Qualified Communications Operator, or ETC.
The company said obtaining this rating is required for Starlink to provide services in Alabama, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
SpaceX has managed to reach these areas, according to the Federal Communications Commission's Rural Digital Opportunities Fund, and the auction aims to bring broadband services to rural areas.
Last December, the Federal Communications Commission awarded SpaceX nearly $ 900 million in grants in the first phase of the auction.
SpaceX writes: It is in the public interest to designate Starlink as a qualified telecom operator where it can provide assistance to Starlink that can facilitate rapid deployment of broadband in coverage areas at speeds comparable to urban land systems.
She added: For Starlink, the committee must approve the petition by June 7, 2021 so that the service can appoint a qualified telecom operator to receive support for the Rural Digital Opportunities Fund before the committee's deadline.
Since the service has only been in public beta for more than three months, the rapid growth in Starlink users is noticeable.
Before the start of Starlink Early Access, customer demand was high. The company announced in July that it had attracted nearly 700,000 people in the United States to the service.
The interest of these people came from the first two months of SpaceX, as potential customers could register through the company's website to update service availability.