SpaceX recently tested Starlink in an area far from civilization—not on another planet, they’d like—and returned to Platform X to brag about the resulting download speeds. The truth is that they are downright impressive: 8 Gbps. Satellite Internet just got even more interesting.
The good news shared by Michael Nicolls, vice president of Starlink Engineering, proves without a doubt that the Internet provided by SpaceX satellites can achieve download speeds that will be difficult to match. The 8102.6 Mbps was recorded by a Starlink device in Jacksonville, Florida. As for the upload speed, that too is incredible: 2794.7 Mbps. Total ping? 40 ms.
Speedtest from @starlink’s new mobile community gateway capability, no land in sight. pic.twitter.com/0gswXiyc8b
— Michael Nicolls (@michaelnicollsx) July 17, 2024
Starlink and the Mobile Community Gateway project
The test is part of a brand new SpaceX project called the Mobile Community Gateway, which promises to deliver satellite internet at blistering speeds to even the most isolated places on Earth. This will be achieved with the help of massive receivers that SpaceX wants to install at certain strategic points. Note that the phrase “no land in sight” in Nicolls’ post seems to indicate that the tests were either in the air or near water.
The first four receivers were installed last year on Alaska’s remote Unalaska Island. Each of these can offer simultaneous upload/download speeds of up to 10 Gbps. The service has a monthly fee starting at 68,903 euros and an initial cost of 1.14 million euros.
So far, SpaceX has deployed more than 6,000 satellites to provide internet from space. The company is working hard to ensure that even people living in remote areas have access to quality internet.
Source: Neowin
Source: www.go4it.ro
