Starlink hits 4 million subscribers

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Image Credits: SpaceX

SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet network is expected to hit a new customer milestone this week, company President Gwynne Shotwell told Texas legislators on Tuesday. 

“This week, by the way, we will pass 4 million customers for Starlink, which is quite exciting,” she said while testifying before a state House Appropriations Committee meeting. (The milestone was confirmed by SpaceX on Thursday.)

The milestone would mean that SpaceX has gained a million new customers since the end of May alone. This outpaces the company’s already impressive rate of growth: Starlink started providing beta service of its product in October 2020; it hit 1 million subscribers in December 2022, 2 million subscribers in September 2023, and 3 million in May. The constellation now comprises nearly 6,000 satellites, with service available in nearly 100 countries to individual users as well as large enterprise customers like major airlines and cruise lines.  

The service is on track to generate $6.6 billion in revenue this year — an increase from roughly $1.4 billion just two years prior, according to industry research and consulting firm Quilty Space. 

Starlink is central to SpaceX’s overall plan to commercialize and eventually explore space. While the company has continued to raise money from investors, CEO Elon Musk has said for years that revenue from the broadband internet service would help fund further development of the massive reusable rocket, Starship. In turn, bringing Starship online will help the company launch even more Starlink satellites at a greater cadence. 

Starlink has become the undisputed giant of satellite internet. Since starting service, it has taken increased market share from legacy incumbents like Viasat and SES, which operate large satellites in a higher geostationary orbit. There are a handful of other constellations currently in the works, notably Amazon’s Project Kuiper, but they have yet to commence commercial service.  

'Stop harassing Starlink,' SpaceX president tells Brazilian judge

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SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell made a public plea to one of Brazil’s top judicial figures on Thursday, asking him to “please stop harassing Starlink” amid the ongoing battle in the country against Elon Musk’s social media business X. 

Musk has been engaged in a months-long dispute with the Brazilian courts, which have been waging a war against X for hosting accounts that the courts say spread extremism and misinformation.

After X refused to comply with court orders last month asking it to remove certain accounts, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered an immediate, country-wide suspension of the platform. That ban, backed by Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, was unanimously upheld earlier this week. 

But the feud has been spilling over to Musk’s other businesses, chiefly SpaceX, which sells its satellite internet service Starlink in the country. Immediately after banning X, Brazil reportedly froze Starlink’s company accounts, in order to guarantee X pay the more than $3 million in fines it owes Brazilian courts, local media reported.  

That order is specifically focused on Starlink Brazil Holding Ltda and Starlink Brazil Servicos de Internet Ltda, which have provided internet access to around 250,000 customers inside the country since January 2022. Many of those customers are located in regions of the country underserved by traditional telecom infrastructure. It’s likely one of Starlink’s largest markets outside of North America. 

SpaceX did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment. 

The court also issued an order to Starlink demanding that it block access to X, which the firm originally said it would disobey; the satellite communications firm backtracked a day later and said that it would comply with the order. 

Last month on X, Starlink said the order freezing its assets is “based on an unfounded determination that Starlink should be responsible for the fines levied—unconstitutionally—against X.” In a separate post on September 3, Starlink said it had initiated legal proceedings in Brazil against the order. 

“Regardless of the illegal treatment of Starlink in freezing of our assets, we are complying with the order to block access to X in Brazil,” it said. 

SpaceX later sent a company-wide email to employees advising them against traveling to Brazil, even for personal reasons. The company is also relocating a small group of SpaceX employees that are based in Brazil. The email and relocations were first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Shotwell’s communication is the latest effort to move the ball in this complex financial and geopolitical snarl.

The entanglement of Starlink in the conflict is the strongest example yet that political leaders and regulators may have few qualms about issuing penalties against Musk’s various businesses, regardless of whether they are the subject of a dispute. 

SpaceX debuts portable Starlink Mini for $599

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Image Credits: Starlink (opens in a new window)

SpaceX unveiled Starlink Mini, a more portable version of its satellite internet product that is small enough to fit inside a backpack. 

Early Starlink customers were invited to purchase the Starlink Mini kit for $599, according to an invitation sent to customers and viewed by TechCrunch. That’s $100 more than the standard Starlink kit. They were also given the option to bundle Mini Roam service with their existing service plan for an additional $30 per month, though the data is capped at 50 gigabytes per month. 

That would mean a Starlink residential customer on the standard service plan would spend $150 per month. SpaceX aims to reduce the price of the kit, it said in the invitation. As of now, there is no standalone Mini Roam plan. 

“Our goal is to reduce the price of Starlink for those around the world where connectivity has been unaffordable or completely unavailable,” it says. “But in regions with high usage, where Starlink Mini places additional demand on the satellite network, we are offering a limited number of the Starlink Mini Kits to start for $599.” 

The Mini antenna is incredibly light: Weighing around 2.5 pounds with the kickstand, it’s only around 60% the weight of a standard Starlink dish. The service also boasts max download speeds of over 100 Mbps.

The first Starlink Minis will arrive sometime in July. The option will no doubt appeal to travelers, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on X that the Mini could be “a great low-cost option for a good backup Internet connection if your landline goes out.” 

Starlink is SpaceX’s popular satellite internet product, which is powered by more than 6,000 satellites in orbit right now. The service boasts more than 3 million customers across 100 countries. 

SpaceX debuts portable Starlink Mini for $599

by with No Comment Tech

Image Credits: Starlink (opens in a new window)

SpaceX unveiled Starlink Mini, a more portable version of its satellite internet product that is small enough to fit inside a backpack. 

Early Starlink customers were invited to purchase the Starlink Mini kit for $599, according to an invitation sent to customers and viewed by TechCrunch. That’s $100 more than the standard Starlink kit. They were also given the option to bundle Mini Roam service with their existing service plan for an additional $30 per month, though the data is capped at 50 gigabytes per month. 

That would mean a Starlink residential customer on the standard service plan would spend $150 per month. SpaceX aims to reduce the price of the kit, it said in the invitation. As of now, there is no standalone Mini Roam plan. 

“Our goal is to reduce the price of Starlink for those around the world where connectivity has been unaffordable or completely unavailable,” it says. “But in regions with high usage, where Starlink Mini places additional demand on the satellite network, we are offering a limited number of the Starlink Mini Kits to start for $599.” 

The Mini antenna is incredibly light: Weighing around 2.5 pounds with the kickstand, it’s only around 60% the weight of a standard Starlink dish. The service also boasts max download speeds of over 100 Mbps.

The first Starlink Minis will arrive sometime in July. The option will no doubt appeal to travelers, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on X that the Mini could be “a great low-cost option for a good backup Internet connection if your landline goes out.” 

Starlink is SpaceX’s popular satellite internet product, which is powered by more than 6,000 satellites in orbit right now. The service boasts more than 3 million customers across 100 countries. 

SpaceX debuts portable Starlink Mini for $599

by with No Comment Tech

Image Credits: Starlink (opens in a new window)

SpaceX unveiled Starlink Mini, a more portable version of its satellite internet product that is small enough to fit inside a backpack. 

Early Starlink customers were invited to purchase the Starlink Mini kit for $599, according to an invitation sent to customers and viewed by TechCrunch. That’s $100 more than the standard Starlink kit. They were also given the option to bundle Mini Roam service with their existing service plan for an additional $30 per month, though the data is capped at 50 gigabytes per month. 

That would mean a Starlink residential customer on the standard service plan would spent $150 month. SpaceX aims to reduce the price of the kit, it said in the invitation. As of now, there is no stand-alone Mini Roam plan. 

“Our goal is to reduce the price of Starlink for those around the world where connectivity has been unaffordable or completely unavailable,” it says. “But in regions with high usage, where Starlink Mini places additional demand on the satellite network, we are offering a limited number of the Starlink Mini Kits to start for $599.” 

The Mini antenna is incredibly light: weighing around 2.5 pounds with the kickstand, it’s only around 60% the weight of a standard Starlink dish. The service also boasts max download speeds of over 100 Mbps

The first Starlink Minis will arrive sometime in July. The option will no doubt appeal to travelers, and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on X that the Mini could be “a great low-cost option for a good backup Internet connection if your landline goes out.” 

Starlink is SpaceX’s popular satellite internet product, which is powered by over 6,000 satellites in orbit right now. The service boasts more than 3 million customers across 100 countries.