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SpaceX Eyes Satellite Internet Expansion Amid 'Extraordinary Demand'

After 700,000 people signed up for an email newsletter that will offer more details about the Starlink satellite internet service, SpaceX asks the FCC to bump up the number of user terminals Starlink can run, CNBC reports.

Michael Kan
 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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SpaceX is reporting “extraordinary demand” for Starlink, its upcoming satellite internet service.

In an FCC filing, SpaceX says that nearly 700,000 people signed up for its email newsletter, which will notify people when the satellite broadband service will arrive in their local areas.  

“Despite the fact that SpaceX has yet to formally advertise this system’s services, nearly 700,000 individuals represented in all 50 states signed up over a matter of just days to register their interest in said services at www.starlink.com,” the company wrote in the filing, which was first spotted by CNBC. 

Pricing for Starlink has not yet been revealed, and anyone can sign up for these emails. So 700,000 newsletter sign-ups doesn't necessarily mean 700,000 new customers. But SpaceX is still asking the FCC to bump up the number of user terminals it can run over the satellite broadband system from 1 million to 5 million units, CNBC reports.

The company is preparing to kick off a public beta of Starlink in the coming weeks for those in the northern US and lower Canada. The email newsletter will include notifications about upcoming beta tests.

Once up and running, the satellite internet service will offer fast broadband across the planet. According to SpaceX, the speeds will reach up to 1Gbps with a latency ranging between 25 to 35 milliseconds, on par with ground-based broadband services. 

Related

The current challenge facing Starlink is getting enough satellites in orbit around the planet. Currently, SpaceX only has about 540 satellites in place when thousands will be needed to provide global coverage. As a result, Starlink will initially only be available for consumers based in “higher latitudes,” such as Seattle and Germany. 

Expect Starlink to officially launch before the year ends. However, it’ll face competition from rival satellite broadband services, including Amazon’s Project Kuiper, which recently received FCC authorization to launch over 3,000 satellites.

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About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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