Is High Speed ​​Satellite Internet Becoming A Reality? Perhaps!

SpaceX Starlink has placed more than 1,700 satellites in low earth orbit and plans a total of more than 12,000 satellites. Starlink’s mission is to bring high speed internet to everyone on Earth, regardless of location. It appears they are moving forward with plans for a Starlink mobile broadband satellite service using a new antenna design.

Starlink’s service is still in the testing phase and is only open to certain parts of the United States and Canada. But when Starlink goes on sale to the public, it will cover most of the globe. Starlink is intended for less populated areas and Elon Musk described it as intended to complement fiber optic and 5G networks.

At home

Starlink’s Internet service is currently aimed at homeowners, tenants or other fixed ground stations and has been designed to be installed in place with an unobstructed view of the sky. As RVtravel.com editor Chuck Woodbury recently reported based on information from the Mobile Internet Resource Center, you can technically move Starlink dishes, but if your new location has reached the maximum number of users, you won’t. will not be allowed to connect to the network. .

Take the road

Good news, however. In recent FCC filings, Starlink applied for a license to operate “moving earth stations”. In English, this is a mobile broadband internet connection from the floor space. If they succeed, it will be a big deal. (Intel tried and failed with WiMax in the 2000s.) That would mean RVers would finally have high-speed internet access wherever they went, even on the go!

In another file, Starlink applied for a license describing a hardened antenna that would be capable of receiving and sending signals to the Starlink satellite network. I have looked at the file and they describe a “phased array” antenna in it. A phased array antenna is flat and uses software to “aim” it at the satellite system. Boeing used them in the early 2000s and continues to work on them today for military applications. If Starlink uses this type of antenna, you won’t even have a large dome or antenna that you have to raise and lower above your RV.

In their app, Starlink says:

Granting this request would serve the public interest by authorizing a new class of ground-based components for SpaceX’s satellite system that will expand the range of broadband capabilities available to vehicles moving across the United States and to ships and planes in motion around the world – and more particularly, to those in harsh environments where ruggedness is appropriate.

Starlink has also filed an application with the FCC to use additional bandwidth to reduce latency and increase speed. And Starlink continues to develop its satellite network and improve the software. Recently, users reported speeds slightly below 100 Mbps. This is the true speed of broadband and almost double what it was just a few months ago.

Is Starlink the answer?

So, is Starlink Mobile Broadband Satellite Service the answer to true mobile broadband Internet? Maybe, but let’s remember that this whole system is still in ‘beta’ testing and a lot of things aren’t ready for prime time and some tech might not reach the top of your RV.

For example, while an internet speed of 100MB / s is broadband, the current connection quality, or latency, is still not as good as your cable or fiber connection at home. It’s still way better than other satellite internet providers and as good as any solid 5G connection. There are also things that interrupt service like trees, tall buildings, or other tall antennas. So don’t plan on putting Starlink in your motorhome in 2021. But with SpaceX continuing to launch satellites and work on the system, you may be able to have true broadband anywhere in North America. over the next two years. We will keep you posted as more information becomes available.

Kim Christiansen is the owner of SiteBastion LLC and provides website management, security and support to RVtravel.com. You can find out more on his website sitebastion.com or find him on twitter @sitebastion.

Parts of this story were found here on PCMag.com.

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