SpaceX launches public beta test of Starlink Internet service

SpaceX has launched public beta testing of its Starlink communications satellite program that aims deliver high-speed Internet globally, particularly in underserved areas.

The Elon Musk-founded aerospace manufacturer sent out emails to invite people who signed up on its Starlink website to hear updates about the program.

The initial Starlink service is called "Better Than Nothing Beta," according to multiple screenshots of an email, CNBC reported.

Joining the public beta test costs $99 a month on top of a $499 upfront cost for the ground equipment, which includes a user terminal to connect to the satellites, a mounting tripod and a Wi-Fi router.

SpaceX also has a Starlink app listed on the Google Play and Apple iOS app stores, which helps users set up their systems and allows them to search areas of the sky for unobstructed views.

"As you can tell from the title, we are trying to lower your initial expectations," the Starlink Team signed email said. "Expect to see data speeds vary from 50 Mb/s to 150Mb/s and latency from 20ms to 40ms over the next several months as we enhance the Starlink system. There will also be brief periods of no connectivity at all."

SpaceX said that "nearly 700,000" individuals across the United States had expressed interest in potentially subscribing to the service.

"Under Starlink's Better Than Nothing Beta program, initial service is targeted for the U.S. and Canada in 2020, rapidly expanding to near global coverage of the populated world by 2021," SpaceX said in the description of its Starlink mobile app.

The company rolled out private beta testing over the summer for which users had to agree to keep their experience confidential.

"You may NOT discuss your participation in the Beta Program online or with those outside or your household, unless they are SpaceX employees," the Starlink website said.

SpaceX said the network will cost about $10 billion or more to build, but the company's leadership estimates that it could bring in up to $30 billion a year, which is more than 10 times the annual revenue of its rocket business.

On Saturday, SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket into space, carrying 60 Internet satellites into orbit to help establish connections to remote areas.

Earlier this month, Musk tweeted that Starlink's constellation had grown large enough to begin beta-testing the Internet service system in the United States and southern Canada.

The company has launched nearly 900 Starlink satellites to date, which is only a fraction of what's needed for global coverage, but enough to provide service in some areas.

Last week, SpaceX announced that it would offer Starlink's broadband service free to families in Texas' Ector County Independent School District, where more than one-third of the children and their families lack Internet access.

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