Starlink & Global Internet

[raklian]

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

Starlink Snags $90M Deal to Provide Free Internet In Mexico
The contract, which extends through 2026, is expected to offer connectivity to 10,000 residents in remote regions.
By Adrianna Nine November 16, 2023

Elon Musk’s Starlink has signed a 1.56 billion peso ($89.80 million) contract with Mexico to offer internet and phone services in remote regions. The deal is expected to improve connectivity for 10,000 individual users and boost the country’s overall cybersecurity capabilities.

President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (also known as AMLO) and the country’s digital strategy coordinator, Carlos Emiliano Calderon, announced the partnership during a morning press conference Wednesday. AMLO said the contract will enable Mexico to achieve near-total internet coverage nationwide by guaranteeing connectivity to 94% of residents. Users across the country will be able to take advantage of Starlink’s satellite internet services and a new direct-to-cell service that enables calls and text messages. The latter is expected to arrive as early as next year.

https://www.extremetech.com/internet/st ... -in-mexico

[weatheriscool]

SpaceX Launches Starlink Direct to Phone Satellites
January 2, 2024 by Brian Wang

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2024/01/s ... lites.html

Starlink Direct to Cellphone supports about 7 Megabytes per beam and the beams are very big.

Starlink v2-Mini satellites have three downlink antennas and one uplink antenna, each capable of eight beams and two polarizations. This means that each satellite has a total of 48 beams down and 16 up. It is unclear how many of the beams are for Direct to phone service and how many are for high bandwidth internet.

Of 21 Starlink satellites launched tonight six feature direct-to-cell capabilities. SpaceX plans to launch approximately 840 direct-to-cell sats over the next 6 months and more later in time.

90% of the Earth is unreachable for service by any cellphone company.

Starlink provides service to any area where you can see the sky.

They will start with text messaging and then move on to voice and data.

Voice over IP usually have at least 85 kbps for voice calls. This would mean about 80 simultaneous voice calls using 7 Megabytes per beam.

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

[weatheriscool]

FCC Lets SpaceX Starlink Use E-Band for Four Times the Bandwidth
March 13, 2024 by Brian Wang

https://www.nextbigfuture.com/2024/03/f ... width.html
The FCC has authorized SpaceX to conduct communications in the 71.0-76.0 GHz (spaceto-Earth) and 81.0-86.0 GHz (Earth-to-space) frequency bands (collectively, E-band), with the 7,500 Gen2 Starlink satellites.

Last year, SpaceX said using E-band radio waves for backhaul would enable Starlink Gen 2 to provide about four times more capacity per satellite than earlier iterations.

There are currently around 1900 Starlink satellites launched under the Gen 2 license in orbit, according to spacecraft tracker and astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell — about two-thirds of these satellites are significantly larger and more powerful than Gen 1 but smaller than full-scale versions slated to launch on SpaceX’s Starship vehicle.

The current V2 Starlink satellite version weighs approximately 1,760 lbs (800 kilograms) at launch, almost three times heavier than the older generation satellites (weighing in at 573 lbs or 260 kg). The version 2 mini have 30-40 meter wingspan when unfolded.

[weatheriscool]