Tag: Starlink

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Mobile Syrup

Starlink’s new RV service will cost Canadians hundreds a month

Starlink has introduced a new product meant for on-the-go travel, but it will cost you big.

According to the company’s website, Starlink for RVs allows users to access high-speed, low-latency internet on an as-needed basis. Users can pause and un-pause the service at any time to customize it to their travel needs.

But it’s going to cost users who can access the service. For example, shipping the product to MobileSyrup’s headquarters in Toronto, Canada, will lead to an upfront cost of $931.12, mostly made up of hardware costs, priced at $759.

Users will additionally pay a monthly service and tax fee totalling $192.10.

To deepen the pain further, the product isn’t immediately available for all Canadians. Starlink isn’t available in Northern Canada and has patches of unavailability throughout the rest of the country. Users can access a map on the company’s website that outlines when Starlink will expand the service. People living in areas where the service is available can expect immediate shipping.

Image credit: Starlink 

Source: Starlink

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Mobile Syrup

Government of Canada uses Starlink to connect hundreds of rural Manitoba homes

The Government of Canada has provided four rural Manitoba communities with funding to connect to high-speed internet through Starlink.

The 1,162 rural homes are located in St. Laurent, Twin Lakes Beach, Laurentia Beach and Oak Point. The government is making a $1.04 million investment through the Universal Broadband Fund (UBF).

Members of these communities have already made initial payments for connecting to Starlink’s network. The funding will allow the Municipality of St. Laurent to reimburse residents, a press release from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada said.

“The funding provided will boost our communities in terms of economic development, helping to foster growth by attracting businesses and retaining our youth and student populations,” Cheryl Smith, the reeve of St. Laurent, said.

“Until now, internet service for our residents has been poor to non-existent. For our communities, this is truly a game-changer.”

This week, this is the second government body to announce they’re utilizing Starlink’s services. The Government of Quebec also solicited the company’s services to bring internet access to 10,000 underserved homes in the province.

You can view a map of all projects funded through UBF here.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

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Mobile Syrup

Starlink available for immediate shipping to 32 countries

BAYONNE, FRANCE – CIRCA JANUARY 2021: Starlink app on Apple iPhone screen. Starlink is a satellite internet constellation being constructed by SpaceX to provide satellite internet access.

Starlink is now available in 32 countries.

The satellite internet service by SpaceX is available to be “shipped immediately,” a tweet from SpaceX states.

It’s available in parts of Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. According to an interactive map posted on the company’s website, the same goes for parts of Europe, South America, Australia, and New Zealand.

Starlink lists the service as ‘coming soon for the entire content of Africa,’ with the starting year of 2023. The same goes for several countries across Asia, including Kazakhstan, Cambodia, and Indonesia.

Starlink provides a more specific date for the remaining parts of Canada, saying the service will be available in the first quarter of 2023. The service is already available in parts of the Prairies, Ontario, and Quebec. The Government of Quebec is also using the service to provide internet access to 10,000 homes in the province.

Many countries in Asia, including Russia, China, and Afghanistan, are coloured black instead of a shade of blue on the map, indicating SpaceX has no public plans to bring the service to these countries at present.

You can view the map here.

Image credit: Shutterstock

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Mobile Syrup

Starlink to provide internet access to 10,000 underserved homes in Quebec

The Government of Quebec is tapping on SpaceX’s shoulder to fulfill its promise of delivering high-speed internet to underserved communities.

Gilles Belanger, the parliamentary assistant to the premier for high-speed internet, said the company’s low-earth orbit satellites, offered through Starlink, were the best option to connect remote homes that are hard to reach through fibre optics, according to a report from The Canadian Press outlines.

“The only solution to connect these orphaned households is the SpaceX solution. I’m not linking to Elon Musk, I’m linking to the technology solution, which is the most advanced,” Belanger said.

Starlink will provide internet access to 10,000 homes with 100Mbps download speeds. The Government of Quebec is providing $50 million in funding. The homes will be connected by September 30th.

Image credit: Shutterstock 

Source: The Canadian Press 

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Mobile Syrup

Amazon signs deals for 83 satellite launches to compete with Starlink

Nov 22, 2019 Palo Alto / CA / USA – Close up of Amazon logo and Smile symbol at one of their corporate offices located in Silicon Valley, San Francisco bay area

Amazon has signed deals with three companies to launch internet satellites in space.

There will be up to 83 launches under Project Kuiper over the next five years, Reuters reports.

38 launches are with United Launch Alliance, and 18 are with Arianespace. 12 launches are through a contract with Blue Origin, another company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. There’s an option to add an additional 15 launches with Blue Origin.

The move heats up the race to provide internet from space.

“Amazon is investing billions of dollars across the three agreements. Together, it is the largest commercial procurement of launch vehicles in history,” a company spokesperson told the publication.

But despite the new agreements, Amazon is still trailing behind SpaceX. According to CNBC, the company, owned by Elon Musk, has launched 2,000 Starlink subscribers and serves roughly 250,000 customers.

The service is available in Canada, where customers recently experienced a price hike.

Project Kuiper plans to use 3,000 satellites to support high-speed internet for various customers, Reuters reports.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Reuters, CNBC

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Mobile Syrup

Musk is going the Trump route, wants to build his own social media platform

After automotive, internet, and space exploration, Tesla CEO Elon Musk is now “giving serious thought” to venturing into the social media business.

It all started with Musk criticizing Twitter, stating that the platform doesn’t allow for free speech, and a subsequent poll where he asked whether people “believe Twitter rigorously adheres to this principle?”

A whopping 70.4 percent voted that they don’t believe Twitter provides a platform where users can express themselves freely. I wouldn’t take that percentage at face value, as it’s likely an inflated figure, owing to Musk fanboys.

“Given that Twitter serves as the de facto public town square, failing to adhere to free speech principles fundamentally undermines democracy. What should be done?” said Musk, which was closely followed by another Tweet with the world’s richest person asking, “Is a new platform needed?”

Of course, free speech is essential to a functioning democracy, but Twitter — a private company — doesn’t have any obligation to adhere to said principles, similar to how Musk’s private company Tesla doesn’t adhere to free speech principles, either. The company recently fired an employee for uploading videos to YouTube showing flaws in the company’s Full-Self Driving Beta.

Regardless, Musk says he’s “giving serious thought” to the idea of building his own social media platform. And while his Twitter fingers are always active, I would take the Tweet with a grain of salt. Execution of such platforms is easier said than done. Take former U.S. president Donald Trump’s ‘Truth Social’ or Twitter competitors Parler and Gettr, for example. Those are all platforms that push for free speech, but haven’t seen the level of success big players like Meta and Twitter have.

Source: @elonmusk

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Mobile Syrup

SpaceX hikes prices of Starlink hardware and service

After hiking up the cost of Tesla vehicles early last week, Elon Musk’s space exploration company SpaceX increased the costs of its Starlink service, according to emails sent out to users (via Tesla North).

According to the emails, both the Starlink hardware and software saw rate hikes, with the changes applicable in Canada as well. Users who already paid the deposit fee would now have to pay $699 for the Starlink kit instead of the regular $649 price, whereas new users would need to pay $759 for the kit. The service cost has also been hiked by $11 per month, from $129 to $140.

“The sole purpose of these adjustments is to keep pace with rising inflation. If you do not wish to continue your service, you can cancel at any time and return your Starlink hardware within your first year of service for a partial refund of $200. If you have received your Starlink in the past 30 days, you can return it for a full refund,” reads the email from SpaceX.

Starlink, which launched in mid-2019, makes use of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites that beam internet to the signal receiving dish kits. According to SpaceX, since Starlink’s beta launch in 2020, the company has tripled the amount of internet-beaming satellites, along with quadrupling its ground stations

Musk has been vocal about increasing inflation over the recent months, which when paired with an ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, has the potential to escalate further. Musk indicated that inflation was putting pressure on Tesla and SpaceX through increasing costs of commodities and metals. Canada’s inflation accelerated to 5.1 percent in January of 2022, while salaries largely remain the same.

It’s also worth noting that Musk’s wealth skyrocketed during the pandemic while working-class people continue to suffer from wage stagnation and rising prices.

Amid the conflict, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk shipped over several Starlink terminals to Ukraine, to help keep the country connected to the rest of the world. Read more about it below:

Image credit: Shutterstock

Via: TeslaNorth

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Mobile Syrup

Starlink offers faster download speeds in majority of provinces: report

Starlink has hit a milestone in Canada.

According to a recent analysis by Ookla, Starlink’s median download speed for the fourth quarter of 2021 pulled in front of fixed broadband download speeds.

The data, collected from Speedtest, showed the SpaceX company’s download speeds hit a median of 106.64Mbps. Comparatively, fixed broadband had speeds of 96.39Mbps.

Ookla’s Q3 analysis showed Starlink was trailing behind with download speeds of 84.55Mbps compared to 90.67Mbps for fixed broadband.

Image credit: Ookla

Starlink’s download speeds pulled ahead of fixed broadband in seven of the country’s ten provinces during the recent quarter. Download speeds from both sources were comparable in New Brunswick, and fixed broadband was faster in Alberta and B.C. The analysis notes that the two Western provinces have better access to fiber-to-the-home, connecting fiber directly to residences and businesses.

The company’s median upload speed is still trailing at 12.82Mbps compared to 21.66Mbps for fixed broadband. Starlink’s latency is also much higher at 55ms compared to 11 ms.

But the report notes Canada shouldn’t ignore the satellite operator.

“Starlink should be considered a viable option compared to fixed broadband in Canada, especially for rural consumers or those without access to fast fixed broadband options like fiber,” the report states.

Source: Ookla

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Mobile Syrup

Elon Musk says Starlink won’t block Russian media ‘unless at gunpoint’

Elon Musk said SpaceX’s Starlink satellite broadband service won’t block Russian news sources “unless at gunpoint” and apologized for being a “free speech absolutist.”

In a tweet (it’s always a tweet), Musk claimed some governments asked Starlink to block Russian news sources. Musk didn’t say which governments but noted the request didn’t come from Ukraine.

It’s an interesting stance to take considering Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent crackdown on media outlets that share information contrary to the Russian government’s narrative about the invasion. Those who do could face prison sentences of up to 15 years.

Musk’s claim to be a “free speech absolutist” is especially interesting given his track record of harassing people who disagree with him, not to mention his repeated efforts to bust unions at Tesla.

Oh, and who could forget when Musk compared Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to Adolf Hitler. Yea, definitely the person I want championing free speech.

Musk’s stance puts SpaceX at odds with the growing list of tech companies taking action against Russia following its illegal invasion of Ukraine. It also comes after Musk tweeted excessively about efforts to deploy Starlink in Ukraine to help keep the country connected amid the invasion.

On that note, Musk also tweeted that SpaceX would reprioritize “to cyber defense & overcoming signal jamming,” which would cause “slight delays in Starship & Starlink V2.”

Source: Elon Musk Via: Engadget

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Mobile Syrup

Elon Musk deploys Starlink to keep Ukraine connected to the internet

Amid Russia’s ongoing illegal invasion of Ukraine, reports coming out of the on-defence country suggest that constant attacks have caused internet outages in some parts of the nation, disabling the country from staying connected with the rest of the world.

Ukraine’s Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov requested SpaceX CEO Elon Musk to provide Ukrainians access to Starlink’s internet connection.

Later the same day, Musk replied to Fedorov’s appeal, stating “Starlink service is now active in Ukraine. More terminals en route.”

It’s worth noting that Starlink satellites don’t just magically beam internet to your phone or computers. Users need to have a receiving dish along with a Starlink router to access the internet.

In a follow-up tweet, Fedorov clarified that Starlink terminals (dish) are currently on their way to Ukraine, and thanked Musk for the aid and for supporting the distraught nation. In addition, the country’s official Twitter account also thanked the billionaire for the support.

In other Starlink-related news, CEO Musk recently announced a new Starlink high-performance antenna and Premium package with speeds ranging between 150-500 Mbps.

Source: @FedorovMykhailo