UK to Use Elon Musk’s Starlink to Enhance Internet Connection

United Kingdom has announced that the Elon Musk-owned Starlink satellites will be used in “a trial aimed at helping remote areas of the country get high-speed internet connections.”

According to Sky News, “three locations will have the equipment installed to begin with, allowing them to link up to the satellites and access broadband 10 times faster than previously available.”

The technology allows broadband signals to be beamed down to Earth, in places where there is limited infrastructure on the ground, or it would be expensive or difficult to put in, as per Sky News.

The trial will reportedly involve Rievaulx Abbey, Wasdale Head and two sites in Snowdonia National Park.

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UK’s Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said: “High-speed broadband beamed to Earth from space could be the answer to the connectivity issues suffered by people in premises stuck in the digital slow lane,”

“These trials aim to find a solution to the prohibitively high cost of rolling out cables to far-flung locations,” he added. 

Several tests show that Starlink satellites, which are present in at least 40 countries, can deliver internet speeds of up to 200 megabits per second (Mbps) which is “four times faster than the current UK average broadband speed of just over 50Mbps.”   

Musk said last month that: “his SpaceX company will continue funding its Starlink internet service” in Ukraine.