SpaceX’s Starlink global satellite Internet project has been hailed by many as an innovation that will solve communication problems in remote regions without adequate infrastructure. The service is currently in beta testing in the United States, operating from 1,300 satellites and showing good results. However, not everyone believes that a promising program is doomed to success. Analyst house MoffetNathanson criticized Starlink and explained in a report why Elon Musk will not be able to implement what he claims – at least in the near future.
MoffetNathanson identified three key issues for Starlink. The first is that the planned volume of satellites (12,000) will not be enough to deploy broadband Internet access throughout the United States, they will be enough to meet the needs of 300-800 thousand households. Moreover, the situation is aggravated by the fact that only 4,000 satellites are reserved for the continental states, according to the report.
The second problem is the tilt of the satellites. Starlink sends satellites into low Earth orbit at 53 degrees. According to the MoffetNathanson team, this slope significantly limits the overall efficiency of the system and makes it possible to use only 3% of the capacity in the southern states of the United States.
The last issue is Starlink bandwidth. The average American household uses 2.2 to 2.7 Mbps of bandwidth during its busiest times. Taking into account the popularization of remote work and the spread of 4K video, this figure will definitely grow upwards. At the same time, satellites, based on the current technical characteristics, have a bandwidth of 17 to 23 Gbps, which, combined with many factors, limits their ability to provide Internet throughout the country.
The report also notes that the Starlink service is not cheap. SpaceX has set a $ 499 price tag for the custom kit, while the subscription fee is $ 99 per month. The Register believes that Starlink will help a laser network between satellites (the ability to form a relay network with reduced latency), but it requires extremely fine tuning, or simply increasing the number of satellites. Speaking of the latter, SpaceX has already asked the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) for permission to launch up to 30,000 satellites into orbit.
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