We know we don’t talk about internet a lot, but it is certainly an integral part of the world – with millions of homes all over the world featuring smart capabilities reliant on an internet connection. For the past month, tech fans have been excited about the launch of Starlink’s satellite internet access – which, to be honest, look like DSTV dishes. But this satellite dish is actually a link to the clouds.
If you didn’t know, Starlink is the brainchild of Tesla and SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk. And while Teslas haven’t made their way to South Africa, Starlink is going to be a global phenomenon. Musk plans to have a ‘mesh’ of Starlink Satellites orbiting the earth in a holding pattern, providing low latency internet from space. The way Starlink works is by mounting a dish onto your roof, which automatically finds and links to the nearest Starlink Satellites. This dish then uses lasers to communicate with up to four different satellites in low Earth orbit.
The ultimate idea is that Starlink will be able to cover larger areas with high-fidelity internet, providing internet from the stars on a global scale. On the 9th of January 2021 Starlink opened for 99$ (USD) pre-orders and a promise to target coverage in South Africa in 2022. Currently there aren’t all that many satellites in space, and while it’s still in its infancy, we’re looking forward to seeing Starlink come into its own as Earth’s first low-latency, high speed, laser-assisted, low Earth orbit internet connection for the masses.
If you’d like to see Starlink in action, check out this video by Linus Tech Tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh1a2K9ZgNA
