Elon Musk’s Starlink Maritime Brings Internet To Your Yacht Against The Elements
Starlink, the brainchild of billionaire Elon Musk, had initially launched with the goal of bringing high-speed broadband access to remote and underserved parts of the world. Now, it’s expanding to the high seas.
The company has been testing the waters with carrying its satellite internet network aboard Royal Caribbean’s cruise ships, and it seems the effort was successful enough to officially introduce Starlink Maritime, a service designed to be used in open waters.
While Musk simply described the release as “Starlink for boats” on Twitter, the official page states the new service is meant for “merchant vessels to oil rigs to premium yachts” with download speeds of up to 350Mbps.
With the connection being said to withstand “extreme cold, heat, hail, sleet, heavy rain, and gale force winds,” it’s only natural it won’t come cheap. The hardware alone will set you back US$10,000 with an extra US$100 for shipping and handling—and oh, not forgetting the monthly subscription fee of US$5,000.
Mashable points out that while the technology is touted to reach the most remote areas of the world, the brand’s coverage map currently only shows a thin section of the ocean around North America, South America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand that will be open to connection.
It’s believed the service will be expanded to cover a larger area beginning in the fourth quarter of this year, with the rest of the planet receiving satellite connection by the first quarter of 2023.
As per ExtremeTech, Starlink Maritime is now available for preorders and will begin shipping in two weeks.
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[via Mashable and ExtremeTech, cover image via Starlink]
