Starlink services now have 250,000 users across 25 countries: Elon Musk

Starlink, the satellite internet division of billionaire Elon Musk's rocket company SpaceX, now has more than 2,50,000 users across 25 countries globally.

"Over 250k Starlink user terminals," Musk said in a tweet on Tuesday.

The terminals will keep on growing, and Musk said that in order to better internet connections, Starlink would need to upgrade its ground stations and other functions.

Until November 2021, SpaceX had added roughly 11,000 users per month since beginning service in October 2020.

SpaceX has about 1,800 Starlink satellites in orbit.

Last year, Musk said at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) conference that Starlink should have roughly 500,000 users within the next 12 months.

He said Starlink is already running in 12 countries and expanding. "We're I think on our way to having a few hundred thousand users, possibly over 500,000 users within 12 months," he added.

Starlink shipped 100,000 terminals to customers recently. The project aims to provide global broadband connectivity via a constellation of satellites.

SpaceX began satellite launches in November 2019 and opened its $99 per month beta programme for select customers around a year later.

Meanwhile, Sanjay Bhargava, India Director for Starlink, recently stepped down amid the government pressure to get necessary permission for offering satellite-based Internet services.

His resignation comes after the Department of Telecommunications under the Ministry of Communications in December warned Starlink to get necessary permission required to offer satellite-based Internet services in India.

--IAN

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