With the release of Starlink Maritime earlier today, SpaceX released an impressive set of stats showcasing the usability of Starlink in the maritime industry.
Under an experimental license, SpaceX recovery vessels tested out Starlink Maritime terminals, and the results speak for themselves.
When compared to traditional geostationary satellite internet services, Starlink offers:
- 5,900 per cent added download throughput
- 700 per cent added upload throughput
- 95 per cent reduction in latency
- 70 per cent reduction in cost
Interestingly, before Starlink, the internet was one of the top costs for SpaceX’s maritime fleet. SpaceX paid over $165,000 per month for 25 Mb/s download and 25 MB/upload of pre-paid bandwidth.
Due to the nature of the work, the SpaceX vessels would routinely run over and see even more costly monthly bills. In comparison, Starlink can deliver 40 Mb/s on each installation.
As well, instead of a single bill to cover the entire fleet, SpaceX proposes using a flat rate of $5,000 per vessel.
This could be a game-changer for the maritime industry, especially when it comes to those who rely on the need for immediate data.
In fact, even cruise vessels are looking at Starlink as a great option. Royal Caribbean is adding Starlink internet services to its fleet in a multi-phased rollout.
At least to say, SpaceX is delivering a better, cheaper and faster internet service for those in the maritime space.
It will be interesting how existing marine internet options react to SpaceX as the newest and best player on the market.
