Musk: Satellite Internet 'Starlink' to Connect Worldwide Next Year

SpaceX Satellite High-Speed Internet Service 'Starlink'
Musk "Double the Speed by the End of This Year and Global Service Next Year"

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX [Photo by AP News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Starlink, the satellite internet service by SpaceX, the space development company led by Elon Musk, is expected to be available worldwide next year.

According to CNBC on the 22nd (local time), Musk stated on Twitter, "We will expand the service to most regions worldwide by the end of this year," and added, "By next year, Starlink service will be available across the entire globe." He also mentioned, "We will more than double Starlink's internet speed by the end of this year."

Starlink is a project that launches 12,000 low Earth orbit satellites to provide ultra-high-speed internet service globally. It is known that over 1,000 satellites have been launched so far, and in October last year, beta testing was conducted targeting North America and the United Kingdom. According to SpaceX, within three months of the public beta launch, they secured about 10,000 users.

So far, Starlink has faced criticism for having internet speeds relatively slower than Wi-Fi. Therefore, before operating the service worldwide, efforts are expected to focus on improving speed and quality. Musk stated, "We will increase speeds up to 300Mb per second and reduce data latency to below 20ms."

He also added, "In metropolitan areas, it is most advantageous to use existing wireless telephone networks," and "Our Starlink service is intended for residents in small cities and towns with low population density."

Currently, SpaceX manufactures 120 communication satellites per month for the Starlink service and plans to invest over $10 billion (approximately 11 trillion KRW). SpaceX expects that once the satellite internet business is fully operational, it will generate annual revenue exceeding $30 billion (approximately 33 trillion KRW).

Earlier, on the 16th, SpaceX raised $850 million (approximately 1 trillion KRW) in investment, boosting its corporate value to $74 billion (approximately 82 trillion KRW).