UK customers start to test SpaceX Starlink internet services

[HEXUS]

The Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite broadband service isn't cheap through.

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[Jonj1611]

Users of the beta service should expect brief periods of no connectivity...

Guess waiting for the next satellite to come around

[virtuo]

The satellites look amazing, Krypton ion thrusters sound like something yanked straight out of science fiction.

[philehidiot]

The satellites look amazing, Krypton ion thrusters sound like something yanked straight out of science fiction.

They look distinctly unamazing when you're trying to see stars. You expect a few satellites being visible in a dark sky area but this is getting silly. They say they are going to improve each generation but that is still a thousand or so of the things.

Whilst I'm grumping, I do not believe beta tests should be paid for. If someone asks for me to test a product and provide feedback, I have never had to pay for it as I am providing the service to them. Odds are anyone who wants this will have to pay for their existing internet solution on top anyway if they need any kind of QOS.

I'm quite grumpy today.

[virtuo]

They look distinctly unamazing when you're trying to see stars. You expect a few satellites being visible in a dark sky area but this is getting silly. They say they are going to improve each generation but that is still a thousand or so of the things.

Whilst I'm grumping, I do not believe beta tests should be paid for. If someone asks for me to test a product and provide feedback, I have never had to pay for it as I am providing the service to them. Odds are anyone who wants this will have to pay for their existing internet solution on top anyway if they need any kind of QOS.

I'm quite grumpy today.

Just think in a few months the pubs'll be open again.

I take your point about more space junk cluttering up the night sky, but from a technical perspective, they are still impressive. At least they are small and designed to de-orbit once they have reached EOL.

[smargh]

100 watts power consumption per ground antenna == roughly between £10 to £12 per month electric cost.

[philehidiot]

Just think in a few months the pubs'll be open again.

I take your point about more space junk cluttering up the night sky, but from a technical perspective, they are still impressive. At least they are small and designed to de-orbit once they have reached EOL.

Oh yeh, technically fantastic. Can't deny that. I absolutely love the vertical integration between Musk's satellites, 5G, the coronavirus, and Bill Gates' vaccine dumping microscopic RFID chips into your bloodstream so the banks can get rid of cash and the governments can control your mind.

(Seriously, I had someone making that argument and when I pointed out one of many layers of bull the retort was "smart dust". There's some concept where there are tiny computers, sensors, etc which are in particulates of dust. It's a concept and doesn't exist but these people point at it and go "NO! IT EXISTS! AND IT'S IN THE VACCINE!")

Screw the pub, I have beer here and can just rant at you lot.

[philehidiot]

100 watts power consumption per ground antenna == roughly between £10 to £12 per month electric cost.

Don't worry, he'll sell you a solar roof to sort that.

[wazzickle]

I'm loth to put any money in Elon Musks pocket, but this is insanely expensive for an awful product.

[Tunnah]

I'm loth to put any money in Elon Musks pocket, but this is insanely expensive for an awful product.

The cost is ridiculously low for what it offers - true broadband speeds in areas that don't have that option and won't do for the foreseeable.

That being said I'd rather stick a spoon up my jacksie and lick what comes out than give any money to that tosspot.

[QuorTek]

Would this not interupt spaceflight and such?

[cheesemp]

Was signed up to be notified and was offered it but just too expensive for potentially little gain (I have 35Mbps FTTC for £32). Good idea if you have no other options but I don't think it'll be popular with the UKs infrastructure (And that infrastructure is pretty rudimentary). Guess it could be useful in rural areas.

[philehidiot]

I think partly they are testing here as people have the redundant internet connections already.

Would this not interupt spaceflight and such?

Imagine 7000 1msq objects scattered equidistantly around the 3D surface of the Earth. Loads of space. Now, draw a line straight up to low Earth orbit from each one and plot the new position. You'll see the amount of space between the satellites is huge. Yes, it needs to be factored into calculations for the safe launch window (deconflict spatially or temporally) but as does loads of other stuff so it's not a big deal.

It's a bigger deal if you're a space pigeon and don't wanna get thwacked in the beak by one of these monstrosities.

[gagaga]

I think partly they are testing here as people have the redundant internet connections already.

Would this not interupt spaceflight and such?

Imagine 7000 1msq objects scattered equidistantly around the 3D surface of the Earth. Loads of space. Now, draw a line straight up to low Earth orbit from each one and plot the new position. You'll see the amount of space between the satellites is huge. Yes, it needs to be factored into calculations for the safe launch window (deconflict spatially or temporally) but as does loads of other stuff so it's not a big deal.

It's a bigger deal if you're a space pigeon and don't wanna get thwacked in the beak by one of these monstrosities.

You're forgetting these things are not still but whizzing by at 8km a second, so the area they take is more like 100 or a 1000km long, depending upon how confident you are.
The will have a massive collision at some point (one was only avoided because of ESA), and for astronomy, several of these things going across the field of view can ruin observations.

[Iota]

Was signed up to be notified and was offered it but just too expensive for potentially little gain (I have 35Mbps FTTC for £32). Good idea if you have no other options but I don't think it'll be popular with the UKs infrastructure (And that infrastructure is pretty rudimentary). Guess it could be useful in rural areas.

I think this is aimed more at the rural areas, especially when most of them get poor service or next to nothing from OpenReach (<1mbps) and the alternatives if available are probably similar pricing wise, there isn't even a working mobile phone connection in many places I know of. The problem is OpenReach is inconsistent and also unreliable, I guess that services like this will fill that void considering the lack of alternatives.

[Spud1]

The cost is ridiculously low for what it offers - true broadband speeds in areas that don't have that option and won't do for the foreseeable.

That being said I'd rather stick a spoon up my jacksie and lick what comes out than give any money to that tosspot.

Indeed - the pricing is roughly the same as existing satellite broadband providers for a 30mb service (which includes strict download caps) or half the price of connections without a strict cap. Then add on the fact this time the satellites offer good upload and download speeds (rather than painfully slow upload, or having to rely on copper for that part of the loop), and starlink also offers relatively low latency (30ms ish atm based on initial feedback)....it's a bit of a bargain imo. Note that all the other major satellite vendors also charge a similar £350-£500 equipment cost, plus more if you want them to install it for you.

Good on them for this, good business venture that also makes sense for the population imo. Hope the testing goes well and we see wider rollout soon!