SAN FRANCISCO: Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s private aerospace company SpaceX has sought approval from regulators in the US to connect its Starlink satellite Internet network to large vehicles including trucks and ships.
The request, filed with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC), marks a move to expand the Starlink satellite Internet network from rural areas to other sectors.
“This application would serve the public interest by authorizing a new class of ground-based components for SpaceX’s satellite system that will expand the range of broadband capabilities available to moving vehicles throughout the United States and to moving vessels and aircraft worldwide,” SpaceX Director of Satellite policy David Goldman wrote in a letter to the FCC filed on Friday, according to a report in CNBC on Monday.
After the report, Musk clarified that SpaceX is not connecting the Starlink satellite Internet network to Tesla cars.
“Not connecting Tesla cars to Starlink, as our terminal is much too big. This is for aircraft, ships, large trucks & Rvs,” he said in a tweet.
“Not connecting Tesla cars to Starlink, as our terminal is much too big. This is for aircraft, ships, large trucks & Rvs,” he said in a tweet.
Musk had said last month that the Internet speed of its Starlink satellite-based internet service, which aims to provide cheaper web for millions in remote areas across the world, will double to 300 Mbps this year.
The company currently promises speeds between 50 and 150 Mbps for the Starlink project that plans to deliver high-speed internet through a network of about 12,000 satellites. It has already put over 1,000 of its Starlink satellites in orbit.
Musk had earlier said that Starlink will list publicly after the cash flow of the service becomes “reasonably well”.