Starlink at 250,000 subs; ups price
March 23, 2022
By Chris Forrester
A panel session at the Satellite 2022 show heard Jonathan Hofeller, VP of Starlink commercial sales at SpaceX, say that whilst Starlink is best known for its consumer broadband service, it was also working to provide services for enterprises and other sectors. He also stated that Starlink currently has 250,000 subscribers around the world.
Hofeller also explained that as good as its first Generation satellites were, it expected greater coverage and profitability from its second Generation craft.
“I think we have a successful architecture,” he said. “Version one is sustainable but, from where we want to get from a profit standpoint, version two will be much more profitable.”
Hofeller told delegates that SpaceX’s Starlink satellite production line in Redmond, Washington was turning out close to eight satellites per day.
Hofeller added that Starlink was also looking to expand beyond consumer markets and was looking at enterprise and other businesses including aviation. Starlink has developed an aircraft antenna and is working to get the device officially certified.
“We’re designing a service where every single passenger on that plane can stream simultaneously,” he stated.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk has increased fees for the Starlink service.
A Starlink statement says: “Due to excessive levels of inflation, the price of the Starlink kit is increasing from €499 to €599 for deposit holders, and €654 for all new orders, [effective immediately]. If you are an existing customer, this change will have no impact on your service. The sole purpose of these adjustments is to keep pace with rising inflation. As always, you can cancel your deposit at any time by logging into your account.”