Elon Musk’s SpaceX is working with online content delivery services provider Cloudflare to boost the speed of its Starlink satellite internet service, according to The Information.
The two companies are working together to see if they can increase the performance of Starlink’s network of mini data centers located around the world, The Information reported, citing a person with knowledge of the project.
A speed boost would help Starlink become more valuable as the hunger for broadband connectivity — of any kind — only grows. Starlink has made its name over the last two years because it’s helping to power online access in Ukraine, but the company has grown to 1.5 million subscribers as of May, according to The Information.
Cloudflare owns a vast collection of data centers in 200 cities around the world that help accelerate data across the internet.
Starlink is just one of many satellite-based internet services that are springing up. Others include Amazon’s Kuiper service, as well as OneWeb, which is backed by a myriad of companies. SpaceX is also working with T-Mobile on a hybrid network that would utilize its low-earth orbit satellites with radio airwaves from the wireless carrier.
Spokespeople for SpaceX and Starlink weren’t immediately available for comment.