SpaceX launches Starlink app
The Starlink app provides guidance on how to install the Starlink receiver dish.
SAN FRANCISCO (Web Desk) - SpaceX has debuted an app for its Starlink satellite broadband internet service, for both iOS and Android devices.
The Starlink app provides guidance on how to install the Starlink receiver dish, as well as connection status (including signal quality), a device overview for seeing what’s connected to your network and a speed test tool.
It’s similar to other mobile apps for managing home WiFi connections and routers. Meanwhile, the emails to potential testers that CNBC obtained detail what users can expect in terms of pricing, speeds and latency.
The initial Starlink public beta test is called the “Better Than Nothing Beta Program,” SpaceX confirms in their app description, and will be rolled out across the U.S. and Canada before the end of the year, which matches up with earlier stated timelines.
As per the name, SpaceX is hoping to set expectations for early customers, with speeds users can expect ranging from 50Mb/s to 150Mb/s, and latency of 20ms to 40ms according to the customer emails, with some periods including no connectivity at all.
Even with expectations set low, if those values prove accurate, it should be a big improvement for users in some hard-to-reach areas where service is currently costly, unreliable and operating at roughly dial-up equivalent speeds.
