SpaceX is indicating Starlink has grown to greater than 2 million prospects within the US, up from over 1.4 million a couple of 12 months in the past.
The corporate revealed the determine on Tuesday in a put up speaking up SpaceX’s ongoing efforts to enhance the satellite tv for pc web service. “In the USA alone, the median obtain pace throughout greater than 2 million energetic Starlink prospects throughout occasions of peak demand is almost 200 Mbps as of July 2025,” the corporate wrote.
SpaceX didn’t make clear the way it defines “energetic prospects,” or whether or not the determine consists of solely paid subscribers or additionally a number of customers sharing a single Starlink account. Nonetheless, the two million determine alerts that the corporate’s makes an attempt to draw extra customers within the US have been paying off, following indicators that progress had been lagging.
Virtually a 12 months in the past, the corporate advised the Federal Communications Fee that Starlink had “over 1.4 million prospects” within the US — a minor improve from the 1.3 million determine the corporate reported earlier in December 2023.
To draw extra customers within the US, SpaceX has been providing varied offers, together with free Starlink dishes for eligible prospects who decide to signing up for 12 months of service. As well as, the corporate debuted a less expensive “Residential Lite” plan for sure areas that prices $80 per thirty days, down from the traditional $120 per thirty days Residential plan.
“The US progress presumably displays the low priced Lite package deal and free terminals with a 12 months’s dedication,” stated satellite tv for pc trade analyst Tim Farrar.
The expansion additionally happens regardless of SpaceX’s CEO Elon Musk, who has confronted public backlash for his assist of President Trump earlier than they started to feud. However the gross sales momentum won’t be translating all over the place. On Monday, the corporate additionally reported that Starlink’s buyer base in Canada had grown to over 500,000, which Farrar identified is merely 100,000 extra from a 12 months in the past. Globally, Starlink has over 6 million prospects.
Sooner Starlink Speeds Subsequent 12 months?
(Photograph by Brandon Bell/Getty Pictures)
In the identical put up, SpaceX revealed it’s betting it could actually begin upgrading Starlink with gigabit speeds subsequent 12 months. To take action, the corporate is engaged on third-generation Starlink satellites, also referred to as V3
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“SpaceX is focusing on to start launching its third-generation satellites within the first half of 2026,” the corporate introduced. “Every one among these new satellites is designed to offer over a terabit per second of downlink capability (> 1,000 Gbps) and over 200 Gbps of uplink capability to prospects on the bottom.”
The V3 satellites promise to take SpaceX’s satellite tv for pc web service to the subsequent degree, probably making Starlink aggressive with ground-based fiber. Final month, the corporate even launched a brand new $1,999 efficiency dish that’s designed to supply gigabit speeds someday subsequent 12 months as soon as the V3 satellites start getting into service.
The one downside? To launch the heavier and extra highly effective V3 satellites, SpaceX must depend on the Starship rocket, which has been designed to hold dozens of them into orbit. However up to now, the corporate’s Starship automobile has but to finish a full area mission. As an alternative, the rocket has been by chance exploding on the launch pad and within the sky throughout its most up-to-date checks.
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SpaceX CEO Elon Musk had initially hoped on launching the V3 satellites someday in 2024, however the technical points with Starship have compelled him to push again the timetable. Final month, Musk himself tweeted he expects Starship to start carrying V3 satellites “in 6 to 9 months,” which must also assist Starlink ship latency at beneath 20 milliseconds.
Tuesday’s announcement from SpaceX added that “every Starlink launch of third-generation satellites on Starship is projected so as to add 60 Tbps of capability to the community, greater than 20 occasions the capability added with every launch immediately.” This means Starship will have the ability to carry round 50 V3 satellites.
Within the meantime, SpaceX has been utilizing the Falcon 9 rocket to launch present era V2 satellites to bolster the Starlink community. Within the put up, the corporate stated it is deployed over 2,300 new Starlink satellites this previous 12 months, including near “450 Tbps of cumulative capability.”
(Starlink.com)
Nonetheless, in some areas of the US, Starlink has been so common that the community capability has been stretched. In components of the Pacific Northwest, the corporate has been imposing an exorbitant $1000 additional “demand surcharge” to discourage new customers from signing up.
About Michael Kan
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I have been working as a journalist for over 15 years—I acquired my begin as a colleges and cities reporter in Kansas Metropolis and joined PCMag in 2017.
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