If you¡¯ve been following Elon Musk, you know he¡¯s working on quite a few projects, with his companies Tesla, SpaceX, and others. And one that¡¯s speeding up in intensity is SpaceX¡¯s Starlink project.
To the uninitiated, Starlink is a satellite-based internet service that SpaceX is offering, with speeds up to 1Gbps via microsatellites that are hovering over our planet in its lower orbit. The services are already up in the US offering speeds of up to 150Mbps in its beta-testing phase.?
However, now the preorder for Starlink is now available in India. Users can check for the availability of Starlink in their area through Starlink¡¯s official website, by entering their pin code. They can preorder for the service for as low as $99, which is approximately Rs 7,300. This will be a deposit which as per the company¡¯s website is refundable, should you decide not to go forward with the service.?
The website also highlights that preordering for the service as of now is entirely on a first-come, first-served basis. For my area in Mumbai, Maharashtra, the website suggests coverage in the area by 2022.?
It¡¯ll be interesting to see how much more expensive the service gets as in the US, a full-kit for Starlink (which includes a router, satellite dish, cables etc) costs a whopping $499 (approximately Rs 40,000).
In case you¡¯re ready to preorder Starlink, head to the official website -- Starlink.com. As soon as you arrive here, it¡¯ll ask you to enter your area to check if it's providing connectivity there. In case you¡¯re lucky, it will give you the option to ¡®Order Now¡¯.?
On the next page, it¡¯ll ask you to enter your name, address and other basic information for registering for Starlink. It will also take your card details to transact $99 from your account.?
In the beta-testing phase, it offered me a range between 50Mbps to 150Mbps of internet speed. The service is expected to commence in India by 2022. It does however, specify that this is subject to regulatory approval in the nation.?