Internet service providers in every corner of the globe will have Elon Musk as a competitor from September this year, as SpaceX’s Starlink satellite arm said it was on track for continuous global coverage in a matter of months.
Starlink, which offers high-speed internet access from its low-earth orbit satellites, has so far deployed 1,800 satellites, SpaceX president and chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell said on a webcast overnight.
While this is a fraction of the ‘constellation’ of 12,000 satellites that are planned to eventually be in orbit, the company is already offering internet services to customers in remote areas in certain countries.
Shotwell said once the current 1,800 satellites reach their operational orbit, Starlink will have “continuous global coverage” and this “should be like September timeframe”.
She said Starlink, which is currently offering beta services in 11 counties, including the US, UK, Canada, Germany, New Zealand and the Philippines, also has to get regulatory permission from each new country to provide its internet service.
Last month the company revealed that it has amassed over half a million customers so far.