“Think of Starlink as filling the gaps between 5G and fiber connectivity… reaching 3-5% where connectivity is limited” stated Elon Musk in a virtual keynote for MWC Barcelona.
Some highlights
- 1,500 Starlink satellites are currently in service
- over 5MW of combined power from the solar arrays on each satellite
- The Starlink constellation is currently carrying 30 Tbps of data
- By August, there will be global coverage except for the poles
- Currently offering service in 12 countries
- The service is meant for sparsely-populated areas and not dense urban areas
- Recently passed over 69,420 active users
- Elon expects over 500,000 active users within 12 months
- Several telcos have signed up to use Starlink for data backhaul but not yet ready to disclose their names.
- Starlink is getting ready to launch satellite version 1.5 with inter-satellite laser links
- Version 2.0 of Starlink satellites will be much more capable and will start launching next year.
- Elon estimates the total investment in Starlink at between $5 billion to $10 billion before the company becomes cash flow positive, and a lot more after that.
The archived webcast is here (32 minutes):
