The Starlink company – part of Elon Musk’s Space X conglomerate – starts operations in Ecuador. From Saturday, April 1, 2023, the Starlink satellite internet service will be available to residents of the Galapagos Islands and to the 250,000 tourists visiting the archipelago.

The Ministry of Telecommunication reported that this multinational company will activate its satellite communications network that will provide broadband internet to citizens who live mainly in rural and remote areas of the country.

How does it work

Starlink users need a kit, configured for a specific geographic area, which receives the signals through an antenna included in the package. The signals go to the router that is installed at home to be able to use the internet.

The company offers that the kit comes with everything needed to get online in minutes, including your Starlink, Wi-Fi router, cables, and dock.

The connection is made via nanosatellites that are in low Earth orbit, so the response arrives much faster. To transmit their signal, they need the propagation of electromagnetic waves.

One of the advantages of using satellites is that the construction of infrastructure is avoided.such as cables or towers.

plan

He basic plan from Starlink promises a speed of a satellite connection with a speed between 50 and 250Mbpswith a latency between 20 and 40 milliseconds.

He premium subscription promises speeds of 150Mbps to 500Mbps, with the same latency. While there will be short periods without connectivity, the company assures that this will improve as the satellite network expands.

cost

Despite the goal being to bring the internet everywhere, the usage of this system will be higher than more traditional systems.

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

Starlink’s website says you can try the service for 30 days and if you’re not happy, you can return the equipment for a full refund.

In addition, Starlink users can use the same high-speed, low-latency service they have at home and move it to any location for an additional $25 per month.

Coverage is expanded

The Department of Telecommunications explained in its statement that Starlink has about 3,558 satellites active in low Earth orbit, making it possible to upload and send the signal almost instantaneously to power high-speed, low-latency internet. offer. This scheme makes it easy to provide internet anywhere, making it ideal for covering remote areas.

This state portfolio coordinated with Starlink representatives the activation of the system which will be the first to be implemented in Galapagos once all regulatory requirements are met.

As the company expands its satellite operations, coverage will open in more provinces of Ecuador.