The Mintsifra decided to check how the Starlink satellite Internet terminal from SpaceX works while moving – for this, the team assembled a small structure to stabilize the dish at high speed and conducted a corresponding test drive. The authors described the results of the experiment in a video lasting a little more than two minutes.
The primary goal of this test is to assess the possibility of using Starlink to provide high-speed and stable Internet on Ukrzaliznytsia trains. At the end of June, the head of the State Special Communications Service, Yuriy Shchigol, said that the pilot project to install Starlink on Ukrzaliznytsia trains was not just a success – the results even exceeded the expectations of SpaceX specialists. And by the end of 2022, Starlink satellite Internet may appear on Ukrzaliznytsia trains on a regular basis.
It should be noted that even in the special Starlink RV tariff for van owners, it is forbidden to use the Internet when moving a car, and violation of these conditions leads to a loss of warranty. However, for Ukraine, Elon Musk ‘s company made an exception – it turned on the mobile roaming mode and updated the software to reduce energy consumption so that Starlink could be powered from a car cigarette lighter.
Technical details
To check the quality and stability of the Internet from Starlink on the move, testers:
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- used a car inverter to power the terminal;
- turned off the antenna positioning mechanism and fixed the horizontal position;
- used an ordinary car tire as a shock-absorbing platform for placing the antenna;
- developed scripts for automatic speed tests and determination of connection stability;
- tracked through GoPro what obstacles affected the connection.
The test drive lasted about 30 minutes, and the maximum speed at which the car was moving reached 134 km / h. This roughly corresponds to the speed of the Intercity high-speed trains. According to preliminary results, packet loss – a marker of Internet stability – was only 7%. That is, we can say that at high speed the Internet from Starlink works with a stability of 93%. During testing, the average download speed was about 100 Mbps – this is more than enough for comfortable viewing of streaming video on YouTube, not to mention instant messengers. A dashboard with detailed test results, which the Ministry of Digital Transformation has already sent to SpaceX specialists for review, can be viewed at this link . By the way, Starlink is already working not only on land, but also at sea (yachts and liners) and in the air (aircraft) .
The Mintsifra confirmed that 12,000 Starlink terminals are currently operating in Ukraine and this is the largest figure in Europe. Now they provide high-speed Internet in cities across 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. Mostly they work at critical infrastructure facilities – schools, hospitals, energy companies. Starlinks are also used by Internet companies to resume their own services.
Video
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.
Read more about the features and practical use of Starlink in a familiar urban environment in a separate article on the website.
Overview of the Starlink terminal – the experience of using satellite Internet from SpaceX in the conditions of the Ukrainian metropolis
- In October 2021, the Starlink global satellite Internet exited the open beta testing phase, which had lasted since October 2020 – as of mid-November, about 140 thousand users in 20+ countries used the service and more than 750 thousand more were in the queue for the queue. The set of necessary equipment (terminal, mount and Wi-Fi router) costs $599, 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 .
- There are already about 2600 Internet satellites in orbit – about 30% of the total number of active devices (based on the UN estimate – there are 9253 of them). Today Starlink already operates in 36 countries.
- In Ukraine, during martial law, restrictions were lifted and the use of Starlink subscriber satellite terminals was allowed not only for the military, but for all categories of users. At the same time, on the coverage map, our country is still marked as the one where the launch is expected, and there is no way to officially buy such a kit in Ukraine yet. This is all related to the certification of technology – it is expected that full certification will take place after the victory.
