Over the past few months, SpaceX has significantly “pumped” its satellite Internet project – it has become available both in airplanes and in cars ( 1 and 2 ). At the same time, the geography of service availability has significantly expanded – as of May, Starlink already operates in 36 countries around the world (including Ukraine). Meanwhile, the number of Starlink subscribers around the world has exceeded 400 thousand. To achieve this result, the service took a little more than a year and a half. This became known from a special presentation prepared by SpaceX for the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), CNBC notes .
You can recall that two months ago SpaceX reported 250,000 Starlink subscribers, and as of mid-November 2021, about 140,000 users in 20+ countries used satellite Internet, and more than 750,000 were in line to connect. In August 2021, at MWC, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk talked about plans to attract 500,000 new Starlink subscribers over the next 12 months. As you can see, SpaceX has every chance to achieve its goals.
At the beginning of the month, Apptopia analysts noted in their report that about 150,000 people actively use Starlink in Ukraine every day, and this is impressive. Although, perhaps, Ukraine is not included in these 400 thousand, since our country is still marked on the map as the one where the launch is expected – we have already explained that this is due to certification. In addition, Starlink is currently free in Ukraine – since the beginning of the war, SpaceX and the US government, together with other international organizations, have sent more than 10,000 terminals to Ukraine. But it’s still a big share.
Now they provide high-speed Internet in cities throughout Ukraine (download speed of about 150 Mbps), including in regions that have suffered catastrophic destruction as a result of airstrikes and shelling by the occupying Russian forces.
Now Starlink terminals in Ukraine mainly work for social infrastructure facilities – these are schools, hospitals, village councils, fire stations. After the dismissal of the towns of Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, mobile operators began to restore communication using Starlink. Cable Internet providers also rely on Starlink – in the Chernihiv region, 10 km of the main cable were damaged due to heavy fighting. Thanks to one ground terminal, the Baryshevka-Net Internet provider instantly restored the network in five villages (Mochalishche, Rakitnoye, Sokolovka, Krasnoe and Birki). The Internet appeared at 143 subscribers (about 400 people).
SpaceX is rapidly increasing the number of Starlink satellites in orbit to about 2,500 already. By the way, according to the UN, there are about 8200 satellites in orbit. That is, Starlink satellites already account for approximately 30% of the total number of active devices.
Read more about the features and practical use of Starlink in an urban environment in a separate article on the website.
A look at the Starlink terminal – a look at satellite internet from SpaceX in the minds of the Ukrainian metropolis
- In October 2021, Starlink global satellite internet exited the open beta testing phase that had been running since October 2020. The set of necessary equipment (terminal, mount and Wi-Fi router) costs $499, and the subscription fee for the service is $99 per month. The speed in the Starlink network varies from 100 to 400 Mbps , and in the long term SpaceX plans to provide 10 Gbps .
- In Ukraine, Starlink satellite Internet officially launched on February 26 – this happened after the Minister of Digital Transformation Mikhail Fedorov officially tweeted to SpaceX founder Elon Musk with a corresponding request. At the same time, SpaceX President Gwyn Shotwell said that at that time the team was already cooperating with the government and was close to obtaining a license to provide services in Ukraine.
- In early March, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, after talking with Elon Musk via video link , announced “possible space projects” after the end of the war, and the Ministry of Digital Development spoke about plans to build its own Starlink ground station in Ukraine after the Victory. This will significantly improve the quality of SpaceX satellite Internet for ordinary Ukrainians, since now the signal goes through stations in Poland, Lithuania and Turkey.
