Later this year, subscribers to SpaceX’s Starlink internet service should get a new perk: the ability to operate their satellite dish anywhere.
CEO Elon Musk confirmed the news on Twitter yesterday.“Yeah, [Starlink] should be fully mobile later this year, so you can move it anywhere or use it on an RV or truck in motion,” he said.
Currently, SpaceX geo-restricts every Starlink dish to the subscriber’s registered residence. Hence, customers generally can’t use the dish at another location unless it's nearby. But the tweet from Musk indicates the company will lift the restriction, enabling customers to move it from one place to the next. In the meantime, the company still needs more time to build up the Starlink satellite network, which currently numbers at more than 1,300 satellites.
“We need a few more satellite launches to achieve complete coverage and some key software upgrades,” Musk added in his tweet.
In November, SpaceX engineers mentioned “mobility options” for Starlink were in the pipeline. This would include moving the Starlink service to different service addresses or even to places without a mailing address. In March, SpaceX then filed an application with the FCC for clearance to operate Starlink on moving vehicles—including trucks, boats, and aircraft—in the US.
Adding the mobility option to Starlink will certainly make the service even more useful for rural users, who’ve often been saddled with poor broadband options. SpaceX’s satellite internet system is currently capable of delivering 80Mbps and higher downloads speeds to subscribers. But over time, the company plans on upgrading the speeds to 1Gbps and then 10Gbps.