Anyone can now sign up for Starlink’s satellite internet service

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SpaceX has opened up its satellite internet service, Starlink, to the public. Their website used to only let people register their interest, but now when you put your email in, you get the option of putting a $99 deposit down on eventual service.

Depending on your address, you could get a 2021 service date (mine was mid-to-late 2021), or even one in 2022. The eventual cost of the hardware will be $499, with a $99 monthly fee for service, with the usual extras for fees and taxes. All preorders are “fully refundable” and could take upwards of six months to fulfill.

Starlink started beta tests of its service in selected parts of the US, Canada, and the UK late last year. Already 10,000 people are getting their home internet from Starlink, according to an FCC filing by Starlink. Those residences are served by over 1,000 tiny satellites, with an eventual goal of blanketing the world with 12,000 or more.

This will be a boon for anyone living in areas that are traditionally underserved by utilities, such as rural areas or hard-to-reach parts of the world. It could even be the end to in-flight WiFi woes, and provide internet to everything from gas tankers to small fishing boats.

Will this be the end of the digital divide between rural areas or developing countries and the urban sprawl? Maybe, but Starlink still has yet to be profitable. If anyone can make satellite internet ubiquitous, it’s Elon Musk.

Have any thoughts on this? Interested in Starlink? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.