SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and his company are working hard to put more satellites into orbit capable of providing Internet access to people worldwide. So far, SpaceX has hundreds of Starlink satellites in orbit, with more set to launch during the year. Recently Musk made an exciting announcement that the Starlink Internet service could be fully mobile by the end of 2021.
Becoming fully mobile would mean the Internet service could follow customers to different addresses and be used in moving vehicles. Musk also said this week that Starlink could exit beta as early as the summer. So far, Starlink has more than 10,000 people signed up for its beta that launched last October.
During the beta, customers can’t move the hardware from address to address. The beta service only works at one home address. Details on the future of Starlink came when Musk replied to someone on Twitter who asked when they would be able to put the dish on an RV or tiny home or take it between addresses.
Musk replied Starlink would be fully mobile later this year, allowing it to be moved anywhere or used on an RV or truck in motion. He also noted that SpaceX needs a “few more satellite launches” to achieve complete coverage and the system also needs some software upgrades. SpaceX filed paperwork with the FCC to make Starlink mobile in March.
When SpaceX filed the request with the FCC, it said making its service mobile was in the public interest and would allow operators and passengers to access services to increase productivity. Musk also noted that service uptime for Starlink, along with bandwidth and latency, were improving rapidly. Previously, he promised that speed would double and would latency drop by the end of the year.
