After 18 days since Starlink – Elon Musk’s Space X conglomerate – announced the start of operations in the Galapagos, Ecuador can now use fifteen satellites that will provide broadband in the country’s 24 provinces.

This Wednesday, April 18, from Galapagos, where the official presentation of the service was held in Ecuador, Minister of Telecommunications and Information Society Vianna Maino welcomed Starlink and emphasized that it joins other multinational companies such as Google, META, Amazon Web Services and Oracle , which are already operating in Ecuador.

How Starlink works and how much the satellite internet service that starts on April 1 in the Galapagos costs

“The arrival of Starlink satellite Internet is the answer that the national government gives to its constituents in remote areas in their more than just demand for better connectivity,” said Minister Maino, reminding that an optimal Internet service will promote work, income generation, access to knowledge and information.

Maino emphasized that investments in infrastructure and a new legal framework designed to attract capital in telecommunications are magnets for global companies that want to develop their projects in the country.

During the event – via the Starlink antenna – Starlink – SpaceX Business Vice President, Chad Gibbs, connected via video conference from the United States and thanked for the opportunity to offer high-speed Internet service to Ecuador.

The Starlink satellite system is easy to install. The set consists of an antenna, cables and a router; The latter is responsible for providing signals to all devices with Wi-Fi access, such as mobile phones and computers.

What other satellite internet services work in Ecuador

Starlink currently has 4,200 satellites globally, with plans to reach 7,000 in the coming years. These devices circle the Earth all the time at a speed of about Mach 3, i.e. faster than a supersonic spacecraft, so they can circle the planet in about an hour and a half.

The altitude at which they orbit is less than 2,000 kilometers in space, which is why they offer the best latency on the market for satellite technology at a speed of 20 to 40 milliseconds. This differs from geostationary satellites which typically have a delay greater than 200 milliseconds.

Likewise, the average data download speed with Starlink is 100 Mbps, and the upload speed is 40 Mbps.

Service costs

Despite the fact that the goal is to bring the Internet to all places, the use of this system will be higher compared to more traditional systems.

For example, a Starlink kit, which includes a router, cables and an antenna, costs approximately $500. While the monthly fee for this service is about 100 dollars.

The Starlink website states that you can try the service for 30 days, and if you are not satisfied, you can return the equipment for a full refund.

Plus, Starlink customers can take the same high-speed, low-latency service they have at home and move it anywhere for an additional $25 per month.