Starlink allowed on moving vehicles: Hooray for emergency services

Starlink is also permitted to be used in moving vehicles. This is good news, as it means that the satellite network can be better used in the event of a disaster.

starlink

The Starlink can now be used in the car, but also on the boat. This is great for people who want to be entertained in the car or boat when driving or sailing in places without internet, but perhaps the most important application is disaster relief. Starlink has proven very useful in Ukraine and Tonga, as well as in wars and natural disasters. When the Internet goes out, it takes care of it by connecting to a satellite in space and a dish on the ground.

Satellite on the go

However, the disadvantage is that, for example, as a fire brigade, you may not have much time to get rid of everything, in addition to having to keep moving, and therefore you will not be able to stand still for a long time in the same place. That is why permission to use Starlink in moving vehicles is so important: emergency services can always remain online wherever they are, even if there is no Internet in an area due to a power outage, for example.

The FCC gave its approval, writing: “Allowing a new class of terminals for SpaceX’s satellite system will expand broadband capabilities to meet the growing demand of users who now need connectivity on the go, whether they’re driving a mobile home cross-country or moving A cargo ship from Europe to a US port or on a domestic or international flight.”

Earth stations in motion

Starlink already has terminals available for use, the moving earth stations. By the way, you do not have internet everywhere in the world: on This map can see where. Anyway throughout the Netherlands and European holiday countries in the south. It’s a shame that you only work on the continent on which you are registered. So if you want to use it on your boat and sail to Morocco, you’re in luck (although it’s not available there at the moment anyway). However, there is a workaround for this: you have to change your address temporarily.

There is an additional cost for this service, because Starlink charges $25 for “everywhere” Internet access. However, Starlink does not guarantee that speed will always be first-class on moving vehicles and ships. This is partly related to how often the network is used. Starlink is getting increasingly faster: it recently went from 65Mbps to 90Mbps in the US. However, whether it also achieves this when you are in a moving car is questionable.