Elon Musk is looking to change the way people connect to the Internet with Starlink. This service, launched several years ago, offers Internet access to regions with insufficient coverage via satellites orbiting the Earth. However, the term “simple” is relative here, as it still requires antennas and certain equipment to transmit an incoming signal to your devices. Fortunately, this situation is changing as Starlink is launching the first “mobile phone towers in space” designed for use with smartphones.
Elon Musk’s Starlink and the future of Internet access
SpaceX (which currently operates as a taxi service between space and Earth) has announced the launch of 21 new Starlink satellites. Of course, this news is not too surprising, given that both companies are owned by Elon Musk, and it is thanks to him that Starlink was able to exist in the first place. However, six of these new satellites serve the rather unique purpose of “destroying large mobile phone companies.”
In fact, these are the first steps of Elon Musk’s ambitious project, which is currently in the testing phase. The satellites capable of reaching a maximum speed of 7 Mbps will most likely serve in certain regions, such as North America, and will be used for tasks requiring low internet speeds, such as text messaging. However, if you recall, Musk originally announced Starlink in 2019, promising affordable unlimited internet, unlimited phone calls, and unlimited data. So it is possible that this area will develop significantly in the future.
Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, noted that the satellites will provide mobile communications around the world. However, he pointed to a significant bandwidth limitation, saying: “It only supports about 7 MB per beam, and the beams are quite large.” Musk explained that while this is a great solution for areas without cellular service, it does not offer significant competition to existing terrestrial cellular networks.
