SpaceX Starlink’s low-Earth orbit satellites are expected to bring high-speed internet to rural, remote communities around the world.
On Thursday, the Nooksack tribe of northern Washington held a trial of SpaceX’s Starlink internet service, according to a press release. Starlink kits have been successfully installed at one of the Nooksack tribe’s community buildings, ultimately giving attendees the ability to connect to the internet at 190 Mbps download speeds.
The new Starlink internet is to start with 102 “angel accounts” from the tribe for the first year of service, which are households that have been identified as the most needed Tribal areas – ultimately meaning the previous internet fell under the federal broadband of 25 Mbps.
After the first year of service, the tribe will be able to begin Starlink service at the standard price of $99 per month. The tribe’s households that have already been using the internet service will receive the Starlink kits at the end of the year at no additional cost.
With the Nooksack tribe’s new Starlink kit installation, many households were reporting download speeds between 80 and 140 Mbps.
It’s not just indigenous peoples in the United States that are benefiting from Starlink. In Canada, the Pikangikum First Nation up north are also seeing new opportunities thanks to Starlink’s high-speed connectivity.
Last Wednesday, SpaceX launched 240 new Starlink satellites into orbit. According to SpaceX head Elon Musk, SpaceX’s satellite internet constellation is expected to cover most of the planet by the end of 2021, covering the entire planet by the end of 2022.
The goal of Starlink is to bring high-speed internet to underserved areas and for revenue to fund SpaceX’s goal of reaching Mars, according to Elon Musk.
