More than 10,000 people in the United States and abroad are accessing the Internet from a SpaceX satellite network, says the company led by Elon Musk.
The missile construction company referred to the number in a file with the Federal Communications Commission as it sought to expand Starlink’s satellite Internet service.
“Starlink’s performance is not theoretical or experimental,” SpaceX wrote in Wednesday’s file, adding that “the network’s performance is accelerating rapidly in real time as part of its public beta program,” launched in October.
SpaceX aims to provide high-speed internet access 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 “almost 700,000 people” had expressed interest in Starlink.
While SpaceX warned early Starlink customers that the service might be inappropriate, the company said it was “reaching and exceeding” speeds of 100 megabits per second.
“Starlink continues to improve as SpaceX deploys additional infrastructure and capacity, averaging two Starlink launches per month, to add significant in-orbit capability along with activating additional gateways to improve performance and expand areas nationwide coverage, ”SpaceX told the FCC.
In the file, SpaceX asked the feds to designate him as “Eligible
Telecommunications Carrier ”, which it needs to provide Starlink service in seven states, including New York and Tennessee.
SpaceX won access to these states through an FCC tender to bring broadband internet service to rural areas, according to CNBC.