SpaceX has announced on Twitter that Starlink, its satellite-based internet access service, can now be accessed in the southern regions of Norway.
A large number of Norwegian users can now access Starlink, as reported by Norway Posts. The report said that an order confirmation for the service was sent by a reader from Kristiansand.
According to SpaceX, the company also adjusted the price of service in most countries to "better reflect parity in purchasing power among its customers," according to Teslarati.
Starlink Plans to Expand the Internet Services for the Rest of Norway in 2023
The Starlink service is not available in all of Norway right away. The Starlink's map obtained by Teslarati shows that the satellite-based internet access service will be available only in the southern portion of Norway.
Based on the map, Starlink is available in Vest-Agder, Vestfold, Østfold, Aust-Agder, parts of Telemark, and Rogaland regions of Norway.
On the waiting list are Oslo, the capital city, together with the northern portion of the country. According to Teslarati, Starlink plans to expand the internet service in Q1 of 2023 for the rest of Norway.
Based on the report of Teslarati, the pricing is reduced from €99 ($98.46) per month to €85 ($84.54). It took effect last August 24. A screenshot of an email sent by SpaceX indicating the reduction of price was shared by Sawyer Merrit in a tweet.
The availability of Starlink in Norway comes just ahead of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's visit to the country. Musk will be talking at the ONS 2022 Conference on Monday, August 29.
The conference will highlight energy. Joining Elon Musk in the lineup of speakers are Ukraine's President Zelenskyy, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, Norway's Prime Minister, and a few energy CEOs.
ONS Foundation organized the conference. It focuses on energy, technology, and innovation.
Starlink Partners With T-Mobile
While SpaceX previously stated that the internet service of Starlink will only be available in Norway in the first quarter of 2023, the service is now available to the Norwegians residing in the southern regions of the country.
Regarding the speed of internet connection, the speed varies according to Starlink, as per Norway Posts.
A report from Ookla with measurements by Speedtest in the first quarter of the year showed that "median of the downstream speeds in most of the European countries where the service was available at the time was well over 100 megabits per second."
Meanwhile, the upstream speeds are observed to be significantly lower. It also varies from country to country, having a median of between 11 and 32 megabits per second.
Last Thursday, an announcement was issued by SpaceX saying that the company has entered into a partnership with T-Mobile. Accordingly, the partnership is fostered in order to "deliver cellular signals from the satellites to T-Mobile's American customers."
The partnership between Starlink and T-Mobile should lead to better coverage in areas where there is an available mobile coverage. While it is not open for mobile calls, sending text messages with SMS and MMS is possible.
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