After Canada’s telecom industry regular approved SpaceX to operate its Starlink low earth orbit satellite internet in Canada last week, many started to check their email inboxes to see if beta invites would hit the great white north.
Now, according to SpaceQ, the publication reports SpaceX will start sending out beta invites for Starlink to Canada this week.
“According to Elon Musk in an email to SpaceQ, invitations to beta test the Starlink internet service in Canada will begin to be sent out this week,” writes Marc Boucher.
Tesla North has not seen the Musk email or the story (it’s behind a paywall), but speaking with Boucher, he says Starlink beta invites in Canada will be “only a couple of hundred to start”.
Boucher tells Tesla North he’s had “several email exchanges” with Elon Musk recently. The two have a previous relationship as Musk supported The Mars Institute, a non-profit dedicated to the exploration of planet Mars, co-founded by Boucher in 2002, he says.
SpaceQ accurately reported (on Oct. 30) the upcoming approval of Starlink in Canada earlier this month, again based on emailed information from Musk to Boucher. The SpaceX CEO said Canadian approval would be “in two to three weeks”, but the announcement landed on November 6.
Currently, Starlink beta invites are only available in select locations in the United States. Just over a week ago, Musk said more beta invites were coming for the internet service, which has seen download speeds of 150 Mbps or higher.
So far, we know the Starlink kit will cost $499 USD and service at $99 USD per month in the United States. Starlink internet pricing in Canada is unknown but Musk told SpaceQ it would be “pretty much” the same as the United States.
Musk says SpaceX also needs licenses for its ground stations in Canada, which may take a while to be approved. Currently, Starlink service for Canada would be coming from U.S. gateways that can reach across the 49th parallel.
Below is a map of U.S. Starlink gateways and where coverage overlaps into Canada, created by
With this information we now know, keep an eye on your email inbox for a Starlink internet beta invite, if you’re in Canada, folks.
