A portable mini Starlink dish is a good idea, says Musk

While Elon Musk was updating about the Starlink internet speed increase via a tweet last evening, a follower presented the idea of a mini portable Starlink dish, and Musk affirmed that it is a good idea.

SpaceX is currently working on system upgrades that might result in higher Starlink internet speeds at times. In response to a question about when Starlink will be available in the Bay Area, “Probably mid-year (2021), but Starlink is really meant for those who are least served. Bay usually has great Internet,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said.

The idea of an even more compact, probably sub-1ft diameter dish is praised by Elon Musk, and looking at his past record, he might actually make this happen. A smaller dish that is easier to carry during remote excursions with chargeable batteries could be a perfect travel companion.

With the Tesla Cybertruck going to production later this year, many Starlink customers who will own the Cybertruck will want to take the mini dish with them on their journeys. Since the Cybertruck will have power outlets and a huge battery pack inside, powering a small Starlink dish for long periods of time will not be an issue for this electric pickup truck.

We asked a recent Starlink beta customer about how much internet speeds he is getting with his new dish installed on the roof of his home. Brian is getting from min 40 Mbps to max 177 Mbps with Starlink depending on the hour of the day or night. He is getting an average speed of 81 Mbps, not so bad. The silver lining is that with time, the speeds are only going to get better and better.

For internet users on Gbps rated connections, this speed might look slow but there is a large number of users even in the developed world who have a 1 – 5 Mbps connection at home. For example, Christ T. Bridgwater from England, Great Britain just upgraded to Starlink from a legacy 900 kbps connection, just imagine his experience coming from such low-speed internet, he says:

SpaceX is building the Starlink satellite constellation in the lower earth orbit (LEO). 60 more Starlinks were deployed last week but sadly the Falcon 9 missed the landing this time and fell into the ocean. Events like these won’t hinder the development of the next-gen internet service provider, exciting times ahead.

SpaceX is targeting Sunday 28 Feb for the next Starlink launch, so stay tuned for future Starlink news and updates, follow us on:
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