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| Starlink offers a telephone network as part of its satellite internet service |
SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service can be expanded to include dedicated phone services as well as affordable internet services for low-income customers.
According to documents submitted to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), SpaceX announced that it will eventually offer VoIP services.
This can include the number of minutes spent on local services, access to emergency services, and the time required to provide paid services to low-income consumers.
Voice service is offered separately and can be compared to city price. The standalone voice service has been successfully tested over the Starlink network.
SpaceX says the service offers a service-level telephone tariff plan that includes free local calls and meets the FCC's minimum local use requirements approved by the Starlink standalone voice service.
The company also said its Starlink service can operate without external power in an emergency and can divert traffic around damaged facilities and deal with the increased traffic generated by emergencies.
The document indicated that Starlink Services provides a 24-hour battery backup option for user devices that can be used to make calls in the event of a power outage, just as other VoIP providers do.
Starlink does not currently have Lifeline customers for low-income customers covered by the Lifeline FCC Plan as only carriers designated as ETC Eligible Carriers can participate in the Lifeline plan.
It will be referred to as ETC which will provide a lifeline plan to eligible low-income consumers while enhancing lifeline availability in a manner reasonably designed to cover individuals who may be eligible to use the service.
The Lifeline plan currently provides families with $ 9.25 per month for broadband support and $ 5.25 for phone service.
Currently, the subscription fee for Starlink is $ 99 per month plus $ 499 for devices. This support is not sufficient to make the service affordable. Hence, SpaceX needs to publish a low-income plan.
The company says it has more than 10,000 users in the US and abroad and has recently started taking initial requests for internet services, which will be met based on availability.