Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starlink in talks with UK’s Project Gigabit

A Starlink user terminal is currently being set up.

SpaceX

Elon Musk’s SpaceX is in talks with the UK for the company’s Starlink satellite unit to potentially make money as part of the government’s new $ 6.9 billion internet infrastructure program, CNBC confirmed.

British Digital Infrastructure Minister Matt Warman recently met with the Starlink leadership, a person familiar with the talks told CNBC.

Sky News first reported the talks, pointing out that British Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden believes Starlink is one of the best options for providing internet service in hard-to-reach areas across the country.

SpaceX did not respond to CNBC’s request for comment on the discussions, while the UK government declined to comment.

Starlink is the company’s capital – intensive project to build an interconnected internet network with thousands of satellites, called a constellation in the space industry, designed to deliver high – speed internet to consumers across the globe.

The company has so far launched more than 1,200 satellites to orbit, and in October launched the early Starlink service in a public beta that now applies to customers in the US, Canada, the UK, Germany and New Zealand – with a price of $ 99 a month in the US

The UK launched the first phase of Project Gigabit on Friday, which is the government’s $ 6.9 billion (£ 5 billion) program to upgrade the internet service of more than one million homes and businesses.

The first phase of the project will collect proposed solutions from companies using a variety of delivery methods, including satellites and other “high altitude platforms”.

Potential Addition to FCC Profits

Boxes containing Starlink kits, with user terminals and Wi-Fi routers.

Starlink

Project Gigabit represents the potential for SpaceX to add more government subsidy profits to Starlink, as the company allocated nearly $ 900 million in federal subsidies late last year under the Federal Communications Commission’s broadband auction.

The FCC has allocated SpaceX the fourth most funds at the $ 9.2 billion auction, with the subsidies to be distributed in monthly milestone payments over the next decade. But the award of SpaceX was crowned with protests from other U.S. broadband providers, most notably DISH Network, with other Internet service providers dismissing Starlink as a ‘scientific experiment’ with ‘completely unproven technology’.

SpaceX responded by telling the FCC that complaints from other providers had ‘no valid basis’ and that it was a way to stop a competitor.

SpaceX, meanwhile, has continued to expand its Starlink service, with the public beta gaining more than 10,000 users in the first three months. Musk’s company plans to expand the Starlink out-of-home service, asking the FCC to extend its liaison to ‘moving vehicles’ so that Starlink can be used with everything from aircraft to ships to large trucks.

NASA Collision Agreement

60 Starlink satellites deploy in orbit after the company’s 17th mission.

SpaceX

The US space agency revealed last week that SpaceX signed an agreement with NASA in January to work together on how to avoid collisions with the company’s Starlink satellites.

While the company is adding more spacecraft to the orbit each month as it launches 60 Starlink satellites simultaneously, NASA said that “increased interaction and partnership” is needed to ensure continued safe operation in orbit.

“NASA has agreed not to maneuver in the event of a possible collaboration to ensure that the parties do not accidentally move into each other. NASA will work on the basis that the autonomous maneuverability of the Starlink satellites will attempt to maneuver. to avoid collusion with NASA, and that NASA will maintain its planned orbit unless SpaceX informs otherwise, ”reads the agreement.

The agency also said it would partner with SpaceX to “share technical expertise and learned lessons” to reduce the brightness of the satellites.

The company had earlier announced changes to the satellites to lower the brightness, following complaints from astronomers about the growing presence of Starlink satellites in the air.

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