SpaceX informs Federal Communications Commission it surpassed 400,000 Starlink Internet subscribers across 36 countries

SpaceX informed the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) it surpassed 400,000 Starlink Internet subscribers across 36 countries. The company had a private conference presentation with FCC representatives on May 19 about using the 12GHz band “for providing next-generation satellite services to Americans,” including to use Starlink broadband satellite service on moving vehicles. 

An outline of the presentation was submitted as a public filing to the Commission where it states the new subscriber count and a list of how Starlink has been useful; a screenshot of the document is shown below. SpaceX doubled the amount of Starlink subscribers in just a couple months. SpaceX announced its Starlink division had 250,000 subscribers in February. 

SpaceX’s FCC presentation says the Starlink service is active in 48 U.S. states. Besides the United States, Starlink is now available in portions of: Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, Ireland, Denmark, Chile, Portugal, Switzerland, Poland, Italy, Czech Republic,  Sweden, Mexico, Croatia, Lithuania, Spain, Slovakia, Slovenia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Luxembourg, Latvia, Tonga, Hungary, and Ukraine. SpaceX plans to expand service to Africa, Asia, and the Middle East in 2023. The company recently released an interactive Starlink Coverage Map which shows where the internet service is "available" and on a "waitlist" by simply typing an address. 

Source: SpaceX FCC Presentation May 2022 

SpaceX aims to connect rural and remote areas globally to the Starlink broadband satellite constellation. To date, the company operates around 2,500 Starlink satellites in Low Earth Orbit out of (at least) 12,000 satellites it plans to launch within the next five years. The FCC filing also mentions that SpaceX "will connect even more people and places with its next-generation user terminals," which suggests the company is working on a third-generation Starlink user terminal. “SpaceX is poised to drive even greater value to American consumers and businesses through its earth stations in motion, which require 12GHz capacity to connect aircraft, ships, and vehicles to high-speed, low-latency broadband connectivity in the United States and abroad,” wrote SpaceX Satellite Policy Director Brett Tarnutzer in the FCC filing. According to the filing, DISH (the satellite television and mobile company) opposes SpaceX’s plan to use the 12GHz spectrum for Starlink mobile service. 

This year, SpaceX rolled out Starlink service package options for standard users and businesses, as well as people who would like to travel with their Starlink hardware instead of using it in only a single fixed address. The Starlink’s standard internet service is $110 USD per month, the hardware is $599 USD. This month, SpaceX added a “Portability” option for an additional $25 USD per month for users who want to travel with their antenna, as well as a “Starlink for RVs” option that enables customers to use the internet as a pay-as-you-go service when they travel and pause it when not in use. There is also a business option for high demand internet users that costs $500 USD monthly, plus $2,500 USD for premium hardware. The internet speeds vary among the package options, shown in the table below. For more information visit SpaceX's official website Starlink.com. 

Featured Image Source: SpaceX presentation document for U.S. Federal Communications Commission