SpaceX rolls out Starlink internet service for private jets

WASHINGTON: Elon Musk’s SpaceX is expanding its satellite internet unit’s foray into in-flight WiFi services with the rollout on Wednesday of Starlink Aviation, offering customers a $150,000 airplane antenna amid mounting competition for airborne connectivity.

Starlink, SpaceX’s growing network of thousands of internet satellites, will charge customers seeking broadband internet on private jets between $12,500 to $25,000 a month for the service, on top of a one-time $150,000 hardware cost, the company said on its website.

Starlink Aviation will begin delivering terminals in mid-2023, it said on its website, with reservations requiring a $5,000 payment. It added each terminal can deliver up to 350 Mbps, fast enough for video calls and online gaming.