Imagine you’re in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the African savanna, in the Arctic, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, or even the Australian outback. Now imagine you’re making a work call over Zoom from there with no lag. I bet the person on the other end of the video call would be shocked, quite intrigued, and maybe a little jealous that this is possible.
This is possible thanks to SpaceX’s ability to launch satellites into space and operate them! Elon Musk’s Starlink claims to be about 70 times faster than other internet providers that use Geostationary satellites. The way it does this is that SpaceX satellites orbit at a much lower altitude than Geostationary satellites and therefore take less time to transmit data. With frequent launches and low costs, Starlink currently has about 6,000 satellites in space and plans to increase that to 42,000.
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Starlink speeds range from 50 Mbps to 500 Mbps. While this may not be a game changer for consumers using fiber or cable ISPs, the possibilities this opens up for remote areas could be huge. Imagine playing online games from a yacht in the middle of the ocean, or having reliable internet access to check weather reports in the mountains or on an oil rig in the deep ocean. In places where options are limited or non-existent, Starlink is certainly a great option.
Earlier this year at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, I had the opportunity to try out Starlink. The hardware setup required to set up a connection was minimal, and when I tested the network, I achieved download speeds of over 300 Mbps and upload speeds of 30 Mbps. Now imagine having those high speeds and low latency on your international flight! Starlink is currently deployed on over 1,000 aircraft, with Qatar Airways and Hawaiian Airlines being among the first to announce availability.
It’s not cheap, though. Their plans range from $120 to $250 a month, and there’s a one-time device fee of $299 to $299. Even with the high price tag, Starlink’s USP lies in its unique proposition—providing quality internet in places where there isn’t any. It offers real options for adventurers who want to spend their lives on the road, at sea, or in the mountains while still being digitally connected. There are some physical limitations worth mentioning. Starlink will need a clear view of the sky, and it can be down in rain or high winds or storms. That means that while internet is the new normal for Chile’s deserts, Amazon may have to wait.
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Starlink started taking reservations in India in 2021 but the launch was delayed as the company had not received all the approvals to provide satellite internet services. The company has now received in-principle approval from the government for the service and is expected to launch soon after the approval. India has been cautious about satellite connectivity due to security concerns, with satellite phones still banned in the country. Fortunately, the government now seems to be backing satellite broadband, mainly to regulate it. Jio Platform-backed OneWeb and Bharti Airtel also have similar offerings to compete with Starlink. The internet packages available for India will be worth watching. While the Jio wave is responsible for the internet boom in India, Starlink could be responsible for amplifying the same.
There are some geopolitical tensions involved with any new technology and Starlink is not immune to that. Starlink has been used in the Russia-Ukraine war, in the Israel-Palestine conflict. It seems like there is another race in space to be the fastest satellite internet provider. In an effort not to be left behind, China recently launched its own rocket, the Long March 6A, carrying 18 satellites for its Starlink rival. China calls this its ‘Thousand Sails’ satellite constellation. With so many satellites being launched, space junk is becoming a problem for companies with satellite internet ambitions. Starlink satellites are designed with thrusters that can perform collision avoidance maneuvers with space junk without human intervention.
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Starlink is also about to launch direct to mobile service according to its website. This is basically equivalent to having a cell phone tower in space and thus not too far away from the tower and thus staying connected on your mobile and other IoT devices. This service is proposed to start by 2025 and the best part is that it will not require any additional hardware. In short, this is an exciting new space for internet technology with the increasing ability to get & stay connected from land, sea and air soon to be taken for granted. Hopefully it will get regulatory approval soon to start its service in India.
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