Something to look forward to: Even if you do not live in a zone covered by Starlink, there's a good chance that you'll be able to use it before the end of the year. According to SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwel, Starlink is expected to offer global coverage by September, but only if regional regulators permit it.
SpaceX's Starlink is closer than ever to become a global ISP. In a conference with Macquarie Group (via Reuters), Shotwel said that the company has already launched about 1,800 satellites into space. Once they reach their operational orbit, which is expected to happen by September, Starlink will be in a position to offer continuous coverage to the globe.
The 1,800 satellites deployed until now are far from the 12,000 promised by the company, but there's still plenty of time to launch more.
Besides the satellites, SpaceX will also have to handle the regulatory paperwork and receive approval from regional telcos. Once that happens, those who have been plagued by slow Internet speeds will finally have an alternative to their current service.
Since Starlink entered the "Better Than Nothing Beta" public program, it amassed over 10,000 subscribers in 11 countries. In broad terms, users are impressed with its performance. Download speeds can surpass the 200Mbps mark, upload speeds can go above 30Mbps, and latency ranges between 20-45ms.
Some users also reported the service occasionally dropped, but that's common considering it's still in the beta phase. As the number of satellites increases and the product matures, the situation should improve.
Image credit: NASA