Federal government boosts network expansion with Musk’s satellite internet
Starlink satellites bring fast internet to Germany. (Image: AleksandrMorrisovich / Shutterstock)
The federal government is also relying on Elon Musk’s satellite internet to expand high-speed internet in rural areas – and wants to subsidize Starlink hardware with around 500 euros.
In many areas, Germany is still miles away from a nationwide fast internet connection. In order to advance the network expansion more quickly than before, the Federal Minister responsible for transport and digital infrastructure, Andreas Scheuer, is now apparently relying on help from above – Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet is supposed to help remove the white spots on the digital map.
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Scheuer: Starlink vouchers for 200,000 households
A program announced a few months ago is said to be loud Information from the Handelsblatt start in a few weeks. In addition, the federal government wants to help a total of 200,000 households “quickly and unbureaucratically” to get a fast Internet connection. The focus is on satellite internet. Starlink, which was also launched in Germany in the spring, is so far the only serious provider in this area.
According to the Federal Ministry of Transport, costs for the acquisition of technical equipment and installation are to be partially covered. Meanwhile, the costs for using the connection are excluded from the subsidy. Specifically, it is about 500 euros. The supported households should be able to buy satellite dishes for reception for the corresponding vouchers.
100 million euros for Starlink in Germany
A lot of money is at stake for the previously deficit Starlink. In purely mathematical terms, the SpaceX subsidiary could collect up to 100 million euros in one fell swoop – and would have 200,000 other customers who would pay 99 euros a month. According to Handelsblatt, the satellite dishes still cost around three times as much to manufacture as the final price that Starlink bills customers. However, Tesla intends to further reduce the cost of satellite dish production in the coming months. For customers, at least the high purchase price would be completely eliminated.
Even so, the demand for satellite internet is apparently very high. According to SpaceX, the company already has over 10,000 active users worldwide. More than 500,000 people worldwide are said to have made a paid pre-order. In total, there are now more than 1,500 Starlink satellites in low earth orbit. 10,000 more are to be added in the coming years.
