SpaceX is expanding the beta test of its Starlink satellite Internet and is offering interested parties in the USA the opportunity to try out the offer. The company wants to dampen expectations of Internet access in this early phase and therefore calls the test “Better Than Nothing Beta”, as CNBC reports. Customers will therefore benefit from speeds between 50 and 150 Mbit / s promised, as well as latencies from 20 to 40 ms. There will also be short periods without any connection. If you want to participate, you should therefore monthly 99 US dollars (85 Euro) and for the equipment one-time 499 US dollars (about 425 Euro).

Internet over thousands of satellites Elon Musk’s space company SpaceX began building Starlink in the spring and wants to use the satellites to provide remote regions of the world with inexpensive Internet access. Starlink is supposed to simulate a complete network structure in space. Customers need a small antenna that connects to the satellites; SpaceX supplies a WiFi router. Overall, the company has already launched almost 900 satellites into space, initially several thousand and later even several tens of thousands. Other companies want to follow suit and set up their own networks, such as Amazon with the Kuiper project.

The chances of success of the gigantic project depend, among other things, on the prices for the end customers. The numbers that have now become public come from emails to US citizens who have registered as interested parties in the project, CNBC has since confirmed initial reports on Reddit. It is unknown whether the prices for this extended beta test are above or below the prices SpaceX will charge when the constellation is really ready for use. At first, those interested in the north of the USA and “hopefully” in the south of Canada should be able to try Starlink, Musk Ars Technica said. The satellites should then already 2021 cover the populated world, possibly the test area will then be expanded.

If more and more testimonials arrive in the coming months, it will also become clearer how well the system works. At the same time, the growing number of satellites is likely to encourage further comments from astronomers. The