SpaceX’s Starlink service continues expansion globally, including in Australia. The satellite internet service has gathered almost 100,000 subscriptions Down Under in just two years, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.
SpaceX revealed how many subscribers it has at an industry round table earlier this month, as claimed by anonymous sources that attended the confidential meeting. The purpose of the round table was to discuss the new developments and rollout of low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Stakeholders are interested in how such extra-terrestrial internet can connect people in difficult-to-reach areas.
Also present at the meeting were reps from Amazon Project Kuiper, NBN Co, Intelsat, Optus, OneWeb, Telstra, TPG Telecom, Viasat, Vocus, and governmental agencies. SpaceX revealed Starlink customers in Australia number 95,000.
Starlink came into service in Australia in April 2020. It promises between 100 and 300 Mbps and has become a hit in rural and remote areas where internet coverage used to be poor.
While the company doesn’t break down its subscriber numbers per country, Starlink has accumulated over 1 million users worldwide. It has entered new markets and also made inroads in the maritime industry.
There have been reports that China will put 13,000 satellites in orbit to suppress Starlink.
