SpaceX recently launched 60 new Starlink satellites, following two different postponed launch windows. Now the Starlink beta will be offered in more than just North America, now adding the UK, and soon, Australia to its ranks.
On Tuesday, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) granted SpaceX the apparatus license to operate “Dishy McFlatface,” a nickname given to the user interface dish in the company’s manual, according to @Megaconstellati (via Tesmanian; save 10% off with coupon code TESLANORTH10).
🇦🇺On 19-JAN-21 @acma has awarded spectrum licences to @SpaceX for #Starlink's user terminals.
One covers 11.2-12.7GHz (space-to-earth) (https://t.co/XY8YSdAZNL) and the other 14-14.5GHz (earth-to-space) (https://t.co/lxRIQzdRCk)
= 25%/0.5GHz less downlink capacity than in the US. pic.twitter.com/2obUqdmfzi— Megaconstellations 🌍📡🛰️🛰️🛰️🛰️🛰️🛰️ (@Megaconstellati) January 21, 2021
The company also received spectrum licenses, allowing their hardware to beam signals to and from space and Earth, at frequencies 11.2-12.7GHz (for space) and 14-14.5GHz (for Earth).
The news comes just months after SpaceX was officially registered as a business in Australia. In October, the country also granted SpaceX licenses to operate 24 Starlink Gateway ground stations, all of which are currently under construction.
https://twitter.com/thcnunz/status/1351469221704736768
In the U.S., the Starlink dish costs a one-time payment of $499 USD with the mounting hardware and router, while the service itself costs $99 USD per month. The company also says the hardware is “more advanced than what’s in fighter jets,” a compelling point for anyone batting an eye at Starlink’s price.
According to CNBC, SpaceX has registered subsidiaries in Austria, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, France, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Africa and Spain, based on public records. SpaceX is literally taking over the world.
This week, the Starlink internet beta website was updated to allow for instant sign ups for eligible Canadians.
To date, SpaceX has launched roughly one thousand satellites into low Earth orbit, all of which fly at an altitude of about 342 miles. Regardless, the benefits of low-Earth orbit satellite internet will very soon be felt by rural Starlink customers around the world.
