SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has high hopes for his "Starlink" satellite Internet serviceStarlink is just getting started, but Musk tweeted that he expects the service to double in speed later this year, from 150 Mbps to 300 Mbps He tweeted that he expects the service to double in speed later this year, from 150 Mbps to 300 Mbps

In addition to increased speeds, Musk claims that latency (the time it takes for a signal to travel from its destination and back) will be reduced to 20 milliseconds If true, Starlink would compete with high-speed cable Internet

Starlink has recently begun a limited rollout of satellite Internet service The appeal of satellite Internet lies in its mobility Since there is no need to lay physical cables, even those living in rural areas can access high-speed Internet

Reservations for Starlink began earlier this month, and speed tests have already been conducted by users Here are some of the speed tests Mask has responded to: [In this instance, latency is the time it takes for a signal to make a round trip from a satellite in low earth orbit (LEO) Depending on how the Starlink constellation works, the end result would be 12,000 satellites orbiting the Earth at any given time And being in LEO means shorter signal travel distances

As for coverage, it will be a truly global network However, Musk made it clear in a tweet that Starlink will work best in low to moderately populated areas In urban areas, cellular internet will always dominate And, of course, urban areas tend to have multiple Internet service providers to choose from

Starlink charges users $99 per month, plus an initial equipment fee of $500 While this may seem expensive, Musk hopes that this will be the first satellite Internet constellation that does not go bankrupt SpaceX has also petitioned the FCC for an inexpensive plan for low-income users If approved, Starlink could offer service for as low as $925 per month At this time, users in the northwestern US, parts of Canada, and some other areas can sign up for this service