The company is also hinting that more 'next-generation' user terminals are on the horizon.
SpaceX's satellite internet service Starlink is now serving over 400,000 subscribers globally.
The company mentioned the new subscriber count in a Monday FCC filing(Opens in a new window). The number indicates Starlink is growing at a rapid rate from a mere two months ago, when the company reported(Opens in a new window) it had 250,000 subscribers.
SpaceX didn't break down the 400,000 subscriber count number. But it's been delivering thousands of Starlink dishes to war-torn Ukraine in an effort to keep the country online, and has been steadily rolling out Starlink access to 32 countries, including many across Europe.
The FCC filing goes on to note that SpaceX "will connect even more people and places with its next-generation user terminals." This may mean SpaceX is already working on a third-generation Starlink dish for residential consumers.
The filing was made after SpaceX held a meeting with the FCC last Thursday about using the 12GHz band “for providing next-generation satellite services to Americans,” including offering Starlink on moving vehicles.
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“SpaceX is poised to drive even greater value to American consumers and businesses through its earth stations in motion, which require 12GHz capacity to connect aircraft, ships, and vehicles to high-speed, low-latency broadband connectivity in the United States and abroad,” SpaceX Satellite Policy Director Brett Tarnutzer wrote in the filing.
However, SpaceX is opposed to Dish Network using the same 12GHz band for 5G cellular purposes in what’s become an ongoing regulatory spat between the two companies. “The studies in the record universally demonstrate that 5G mobile service in the 12GHz band will cause harmful interference to consumers of next-generation satellite service—the only question how massive the harm will be,” Tarnutzer claimed.
In the meantime, SpaceX on Monday launched a new Starlink RV service, which is designed for consumers who’d like to access the satellite internet service during road trips or while camping. The new offering also has no waitlist.
Credit: pcmag.com