Elon Musk Says Starlink Will Complete Beta-Testing Phase In October

Tesla Inc TSLA and Starlink CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter that Starlink will enter its next beta testing phase in October. 

What Happened: While responding to a user question on Twitter about the Starlink beta release, Musk tweeted 'next month.' 

Earlier this year, Musk said Starlink would probably be out of beta by the end of the summer.

Musk said that Starlink users saw improvements in the service's internet speeds, and the company hoped to have the internet service "fully mobile" by the end of summer. 

The first Starlink satellite was launched in 2019, and the service has since gathered only about 90,000 users.

Why It's Important: According to the company's filings with the Federal Communications Commission, SpaceX has launched over 1,700 Starlink satellites into orbit. 

Musk has said that he eventually wants to send up to 42,000 satellites into space.

In August, the Ookla internet speed tests pointed out that Starlink's median download speeds across the U.S. were 97.23 Mbps during Q2 2021, which were "fast enough to handle most of the needs of modern online life."

In May, Starlink received 500,000 orders for new connections. 

SpaceX offers the service at $99 a month and an additional $499 one-time cost for the kit, including a user terminal and Wi-Fi router to connect to the satellites.

Defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp's LMT space unit has tied up with Omnispace LLC to roll out a similar product which would directly compete with Starlink.

Photo: Courtesy of Pixabay