As the largest and first airline in the MENA region to offer Starlink’s ultra-high-speed, low-latency internet, Qatar Airways continues to raise the bar for in-flight services after winning the coveted Skytrax “World’s Best Airline” for 2024 award.

Initially, the carrier planned to outfit three Boeing 777 aircraft with Starlink technology. However, by the end of 2024, the airline will have upgraded 12 Boeing 777-300s with this service. Further ahead, the entire Boeing 777 fleet is set to be Starlink-equipped by 2025, one year earlier than originally scheduled, with the Airbus A350 fleet following suit by mid-2025.

This rollout demonstrates Qatar Airways’ dedication to enhancing in-flight connectivity and will enable passengers to stay in touch with family and friends, stream media, watch live sports, work remotely, and even play online games — all at 35,000 feet.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer expressed excitement about the debut flight, stating: “We are thrilled to launch our first Starlink-equipped flight, proving once again why Qatar Airways is at the forefront of the aviation industry”.

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He continued, “Paired with our commitment to rapidly rollout Starlink across our entire modern fleet, [Qatar Airways] demonstrates our relentless pursuit of offering passengers an in-flight experience that transcends the constraints of traditional air travel”.

By launching its first Starlink-equipped aircraft, Qatar Airways has achieved several milestones, including operating the world’s first Boeing 777 widebody with the service onboard. Qatar Airways’ strategic partnership with SpaceX ensures passengers will continue to enjoy an unmatched in-flight experience, and not only represents a breakthrough for Qatar Airways but also sets a new standard for in-flight connectivity globally.

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According to emails sent out by SpaceX, the Starlink Mini will be priced at $599 upfront — $100 more than the standard dish kit. Users must already have a standard service plan to add the Mini Roam service, which costs an extra $30 per month. In total, Starlink residential customers will spend $150 per month if they opt for the Mini.

Starlink MINI (REV MINI1_PROD2) with built-in WiFi.
28.9×24.8 cm (11.4″ x 9.8″) pic.twitter.com/0AQKicaOk4

— Oleg Kutkov (@olegkutkov) June 16, 2024

The cost of the smaller dish might decrease in the future. SpaceX mentioned in its email that it is working towards making Starlink more affordable overall. Currently, the company is offering a limited number of Mini kits “in regions with high usage”. Recently, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk discussed the Mini on X (formerly Twitter), describing it as a “great low-cost option”. He also mentioned that it would eventually cost “about half the price of the standard dish to buy and monthly subscription”.

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The Starlink Mini dish includes a built-in Wi-Fi router, making it a more compact package and requiring fewer additional components than the standard version. The Mini also consumes less power, features a DC power input, and can achieve download speeds exceeding 100 Mbps. The new kit includes the dish, a kickstand, a pipe adapter, a power supply, and a cord with a USB-C connector on one end and a barrel jack on the other.

Currently, the Starlink Mini is only available in select high-usage regions. However, Michael Nicolls, Vice President of Starlink Engineering, stated on X that the company is increasing production of the Mini and plans to make it available internationally in the very near future.

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Now, with the Israel-Hamas conflict threatening to spill over into neighboring regions, Lebanon’s already patchy internet connectivity could become even worse, with telecommunications usually one of the first pieces of infrastructure to be targeted during an attack.

To address these problems and provide enhanced connectivity, Lebanon’s Ministry of Telecommunications has explored Elon Musk’s Starlink system, which relies on 3,200 satellites, negating the need for fixed wires and other paraphernalia.

Caretaker Minister of Telecommunications Johnny Corm thinks that Starlink could be the key to solving Lebanon’s internet woes, explaining that “The ministry will grant licenses to companies that will sell this system to individuals through the Ministry of Telecom. We will not have to pay anything,” in response to questions about how such a partnership would work.

Although expensive for individuals, Starlink would allow businesses to expand their operations with faster and more reliable internet connections. In addition, the SpaceX service would enable Lebanon to better connect to the global digital economy.

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However, there are downsides to the satellite-based system. One of the major obstacles is cost, as the technology is much more expensive than traditional cables or fiber optics solutions. Additionally, the satellite signal could be disrupted by bad weather or other natural causes. Finally, the government would need to establish regulations to ensure the service complies with global standards.

Nevertheless, where the Lebanese government has historically been unable to meet citizens’ needs for reliable internet, Starlink has the potential to make a difference and provide a welcome boost to the Lebanese economy in the process.

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SpaceX describes the new service as “unlimited high-speed, low-latency internet on an as-needed basis anywhere in the world”, though makes it clear that customers will need to fork out $599 for the portable Flat High-Performance Terminal required to connect to the service or $2,500 for a non-portable option. The $200 monthly fee allows users to connect from anywhere in their home country or when roaming abroad.

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Although global roaming has technically been available to US users for some time, the unveiling of Starlink Roam will add additional regions (including the Middle East) to the revamped service.

Since first being made available worldwide, Starlink now boasts over 1 million subscribers. As SpaceX continues to add more satellites to expand coverage, the service’s user base and reach are expected to expand even further.

The post Elon Musk’s Starlink Offers Global Roaming Satellite Internet appeared first on Tech Magazine.

The company recently emailed people on the Starlink waitlist inviting them to try a new $200 per month package offering internet access “from almost anywhere on land in the world”.

NEWS: Starlink is testing a new "Global Roaming Service" for $200/mo, plus the standard $599 for Hardware. Will they offer this as an add-on for $65/mo like portability? @RealTeslaNorth @MarcusTuck3 https://t.co/c2vQhtOUL8 pic.twitter.com/kiLMsMkhDY

— Nathan Owens (@VirtuallyNathan) February 17, 2023

Potential customers will need a Starlink terminal to access the service, which may incur an import fee on top of the device’s $599 price, leading many to question the advantage over the existing $25 Portability Package offered to residential users.

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The answer seems to be found in SpaceX’s terms of service, which requires those who spend “an extended period of time” away from home to change their permanent address, with the $25 Portability Package intended as a strictly temporary plan for vacations and business trips.

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According to Elcome, the Starlink-backed service will offer internet speeds that are 100 times faster than conventional satellite solutions, helping the luxury yacht sector to provide a better service to clients, as well as boosting download speeds for merchant ships and even oil rigs.

“We are so excited to bring the benefits of Starlink to our customers. It’s not just about fast internet, but the opportunity for us to implement real-time remote monitoring and autonomy solutions for these customers in ways that were not previously possible. Also, consider the benefit to crew members who will now be able to better stay in touch with family and friends while out at sea,” says Jimmy Grewal, Elcome Executive Director.

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The service uses Starlink’s low-orbit satellites, which currently represent the largest constellation of their type at such an altitude. Elcome will provide their customers with installation, integration, and field support for Starlink connections, with multi-antenna arrays delivering super-fast, low-latency bandwidth.

The post Starlink Teams Up With Elcome To Offer Maritime Internet appeared first on Tech Magazine.

Starlink now has more than 1,000,000 active subscribers – thank you to all customers and members of the Starlink team who contributed to this milestone https://t.co/5suNxFvtEH pic.twitter.com/E1ojYarcEA

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 19, 2022

Although the subscriber figures sound impressive for a relatively young company, Starlink still has a few teething problems. According to a September report by speed test gurus Ookla, the satellite internet company’s download speeds have continued to drop since mid-2021, with figures ranging from 9% to 54% being measured at various intervals.

Ookla believes that the dropouts and general sluggishness are probably due to Starlink’s infrastructure straining under the weight of its growing user base, which along with a fair use policy introduced in November 2022, means that the company is almost certainly throttling internet speeds. Starlink’s service went from 400,000 active users in May to the 1 million+ figure we’re hearing about today, so existing users may need to spend more to get speeds back to what they’ve been used to so far.

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Back in August, SpaceX announced that it was entering into a partnership with T-Mobile that would allow the mobile phone giant’s customers to connect directly to Starlink satellites, potentially adding even more users to the platform — though testing will continue well into 2023.

Future plans for SpaceX include the addition of their second-generation satellites, which may ease some of the strain when they launch at the end of the year. However, astronomers will no doubt be less than thrilled at this news, as Musk’s company currently has over 3,000 craft in orbit, a figure which will eventually reach 42,000 once future plans are approved.

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Last year, Lebanese computer science researcher Nadim Kobeissi asked Elon Musk on Twitter to position one of his satellites over Lebanon. His tweet quickly gained traction among other Lebanese Twitter users, many of which have to rely on slow and unreliable internet connections that are behind the rest of the world.

To everyone’s surprise, Musk replied, assuring Nadim that Starlink would provide global coverage. Well, it’s now clear that Musk was serious because pre-orders are already available with a fully refundable deposit of $99. The deposit will go toward the cost of the hardware kit ($499), the monthly service fee ($99 a month), and the shipping & handling fee (varies from region to region).

The fine print states that paying the deposit doesn’t guarantee availability. Instead, the deposit gives the payer’s order a higher priority in their region for ordering Starlink when it becomes available in the future.

Those who receive the Starlink kit can look forward to data speeds between 50 Mbps and 150 Mbps and latency from 20 ms to 40 ms, which is good enough for online gaming, high-definition streaming, and video conferencing. Both speed and latency are promised to keep improving as SpaceX, the company behind Starlink, launches more satellites and improves its software.

Already, around 1,000 Starlink satellites have been launched into orbit, but SpaceX has sought approval for tens of thousands more. Other private companies that are planning to launch satellite internet constellations include OneWeb, Amazon, Samsung, and Boeing.

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At the moment, satellite internet access is aimed mostly at people living in rural and hard-to-reach locations, where wired connectivity has typically been a challenge. As the technology improves and the number of satellites in orbit increases, it’s possible that it will become a viable alternative to broadband internet even in otherwise well-connected areas.

It still isn’t clear whether or not the Lebanese government will formally allow the use of Starlink within the country as Ogero, Lebanon’s state telecommunications operator, doesn’t allow the use of Internet services that don’t pass through their network. It will be interesting to see what their take is on the matter.

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