SpaceX has set an aggressive timeline when it comes to the global expansion of its Starlink satellite internet service, expecting to offer global coverage by September.
“We’ve successfully deployed 1,800 or so satellites and once all those satellites reach their operational orbit, we will have continuous global coverage, so that should be like September timeframe,” president Gwynne Shotwel said in a tech conference this week, reported by Reuters.
SpaceX has deployed 1800 satellites so far. The company has plans to launch 12,000 satellites in total. Along with the need for more satellite in orbit, SpaceX will need to do “regulatory work,” according to Shotwel, before being approved to provide service in each country. Beta testing is currently taking place in 11 countries, she noted.
Testing started in the U.S, Canada, and the U.K and CNBC reported earlier this year that the company is registered in Austria, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, France, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Africa, and Spain.
In February, Starlink reported over 10,000 users in the U.S and abroad in a petition to the FCC, asking to be listed as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier.