Image: © Mike Mareen/Stock.adobe.com
Aiming to bring internet to disconnected locations, Starlink Roam will cost €100 per month with a one-time hardware installation cost of €450.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has announced that its satellite internet provider Starlink is now offering a global roaming package for customers travelling to locations where connectivity has been “unreliable or completely unavailable”.
Starlink Roam is expected to give users instant access to high-speed and low-latency internet “on an as-needed basis” at any location where the service provides active coverage.
According to Starlink’s website, the service – which is available in Ireland – will cost €100 per month with a one-time hardware cost of €450 for permanent installation on vehicles.
Starlink first got approval in the US to provide its satellite internet to vehicles in motion last summer. This included cars, trucks, boats and even aircraft. Later in the year, SpaceX said it will roll out Starlink services to the aviation industry, including private jets.
SpaceX started sending customers emails last month, according to an Engadget report, saying that the global roaming services are contingent on regulatory approvals. While Starlink is available across Europe and North America, it is still pending approval in other major countries such as India.
Other countries, such as China and Russia, will seemingly not get Starlink at all. Musk said in an interview with the Financial Times that the Chinese government has “made clear its disapproval of his recent rollout of Starlink.”
Starlink’s latest announcement comes at a time when it has emerged that the internet service is being used by illegal miners in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest for coordinating logistics, alerting each other before police raids and making payments remotely, according to an AP report.
Meanwhile, with the intention of giving Starlink a run for its money, Amazon revealed three new satellite internet antennas earlier this week as part of its Project Kuiper mission to enhance connectivity in different parts of the world.
“Every technology and business decision we’ve had has centred on what will deliver the best experience for different customers around the world, and our range of customer terminals reflect those choices,” said Rajeev Badyal, Amazon VP of technology for Project Kuiper.
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