Elon Musk’s SpaceX begins testing Starlink broadband in UK

LONDON – SpaceX’s satellite broadband service, Starlink, is currently being tested in the UK after being licensed by UK telecommunications regulator Ofcom.

Starlink received an “earth station network license” in November, an Ofcom spokesperson told CNBC on Tuesday. SpaceX did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.

The £ 200 ($ 272) per year license allows Starlink to sell satellite dishes and other communications equipment in the UK so that people can pick up the signals from Starlink’s satellite network.

Founded in 2002 by Elon Musk, SpaceX is an aerospace manufacturer and space transportation company. It announced that it was creating the Starlink subdivision in 2015.

Musk, who is now the richest person in the world, said he wanted to improve internet access in areas of the world that are currently not served by broadband providers. It plans to do this by placing thousands of small telecommunications satellites in low earth orbit capable of transmitting high-speed, low-latency Internet connection to the ground.

In an interview last March, Musk said SpaceX could make up to $ 30 billion a year by providing broadband. He said Starlink would be “useful for telecom operators because Starlink will serve the hardest to serve customers”, adding that 5G is not ideal for the campaign because “you need reach”.

Starlink, which will compete with the UK’s OneWeb, aims to put 1,440 of its 260 kg (570 lb) satellites into orbit by the end of 2021.

The company, which primarily focuses on connecting rural areas where the internet is unreliable or unavailable, has been urging people in the United States and Canada to try its service since October.

He is now inviting people to the UK via email, according to reports and social media users. Starlink charges UK customers £ 439 for the satellite dish and other communications equipment, plus a monthly fee of £ 89 and a shipping charge of £ 54.

Those testing the service can expect data speeds of between 50 megabits per second (Mbps) and 150 Mbps, according to reports. The UK average broadband speed is 64 Mbps, but people in rural areas often find it difficult to get close. It is not known how many homes and offices currently use the Starlink service.

SpaceX set up a UK entity in London called Starlink Internet Services last August, according to a document filed in the UK Companies House register.

A photo of what appears to be one of the first deliveries of Starlink to the UK was shared on Reddit by Philip Hall, who lives in the countryside of Devon, in the southwest of England.

“As an enthusiast with no short-term (broadband) fiber prospect, I signed up for the beta quite early,” Hall told CNBC via Reddit on Thursday.

Hall, who has previously deployed air defense networks for the British Army, said: “The technological capability in this area, at the consumer level, is astounding.”

In terms of performance, Hall said he can consistently achieve 80 Mbps download speeds from his home.

He suspects he got a Starlink antenna because the company wants data before a commercial deployment and he’s at the right latitude.

Describing the setup, Hall said it was like many other devices. He installed an app on his Android phone, checked to make sure the antenna had a clear view of the sky (which was easy in rural Devon), and plugged it in. “The app asks you to register a name and password and you’re cooking,” he says.

Greece, Germany and Australia have also reportedly approved Starlink’s offer.