Starlink has unveiled a new rectangular satellite dish or user terminal

Endorsement by Elon Musk The Starlink website has been updated to include a new rectangular satellite dish, courtesy of SpaceX. In comparison to the previous circular model, the new satellite dish, or user terminal, as the firm refers to it, is thinner, lighter, and rectangular. According to reports, the new kit includes a WiFi-only router and is more straightforward than the previous one.

A wired connection will be made possible through the use of an Ethernet router that will be supplied separately. In terms of size, the new rectangular dish measures 12-inches wide by 19-inches long and weighs 9.2 pounds, or little more than 4 kilogrammes. It weighs roughly half as much as the original 16-pound serving dish. The price to purchase the rectangular option, on the other hand, appears to have remained constant. The initial investment was $499 for the kit, with further monthly payments of $99 for coverage.

Also Read: How Does Satellite Internet Work?

The user terminals communicate with a network of more than 1400 satellites, which provides high-speed internet access. Starlink has said that it intends to provide download rates of up to 200 Mbps and latency as low as 20 milliseconds in the future. In addition, the business has introduced a new line of brackets that may be used to permanently attach the terminals on buildings and rooftops. The original dish cannot be exchanged for the new model, and each account is only allowed to have one terminal per subscription, according to Business Insider. Customers who have already purchased the original dish are not permitted to swap it for the new one.

It was in October 2020 that SpaceX made the company’s beginning kit, which consisted of a 23-inch-wide circular user terminal, or dish mounting equipment, together with a Wi-Fi router and all the wires, accessible to anybody who qualified. Additionally, Starlink allows customers from all over the world to pre-book a connection in exchange for a $99 refundable deposit.

A satellite internet initiative by SpaceX called Starlink seeks to send roughly 12,000 satellites into low Earth orbit where they will be able to deliver broadband internet access to people on the ground, particularly in isolated and rural places where traditional internet infrastructure is absent.

With such a large number of satellites in low orbit at the same time, the goal is to have at least one satellite visible over every portion of the Earth, allowing consumers to have near-continuous internet access, according to the article. Users must install a dish near their house, such as on the roof, from which they may have an unobstructed view of the sky (without being obscured by trees) at all times in order to connect to the system.

Starlink filed a subsidiary in India earlier this month, paving the way for the company to begin seeking for licences in the country. The establishment of Starlink’s India subsidiary, Starlink Satellite Communications Private Limited, would allow the business to progress further in the regulatory processes that it will need to complete in order to operate in the nation.

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