SpaceX has been granted temporary permission to provide space communications for T-Mobile customers in Florida who may lose cellular service due to Hurricane Milton. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted SpaceX a special 15-day temporary permit to cover the hurricane's path.
Starlink has said it will honour Brazil's request to block platform X (formerly Twitter) despite its ongoing battle with a freeze on its assets.
After Brazil's Supreme Court ordered internet service providers to block access to Platform X, Starlink, Ilon Musk's satellite internet service, refused to comply with the ruling.
Ilon Musk announced that Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, will provide free emergency SOS services worldwide. Unlike Apple and Google, which offer satellite communications as a premium service, Starlink plans to make the feature available to all smartphone users. This will allow people in remote and unpopulated areas to contact emergency services even if they are not connected to a cellular network.
The terminal was specially designed for travellers. It has compact dimensions (259×259×38.5 mm), a weight of 1.1 kg and a built-in Wi-Fi router.
Thanks to this co-operation, Qatar Airways plans to install Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet on some Boeing 777-300 aircraft in the fourth quarter of 2024. The internet will be available via a Wi-Fi network. Maximum download speeds will be 500 Mbps. Passengers will be able to use streaming services, as well as play online games directly during the flight at an altitude of 7,000 to 13,000 metres.
SpaceX presented the first video call using the Starlink Direct to Cell satellite service. Unmodified phones were used in the test.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has authorised SpaceX to use Starlink's new V4 antenna and future mini antenna model on moving vehicles, including cars, ships and aircraft.
The Pentagon has announced that it has stopped using the Starlink Internet service for Russians in Ukraine.
SpaceX has presented the launch of a new trial programme for its Starlink service, which allows customers to get hardware for just USD 1. The company normally charges USD 599 for a new set, but through this trial offer, customers can pay only a symbolic amount initially.
SpaceX, the company founded by Elon Musk, is under investigation for Russia's use of the Starlink satellite system against Ukraine. According to Democratic representatives in the US House of Representatives, Russian troops in Ukraine could have used Starlink terminals to access the Internet.