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Elon Musk’s satellite Starlink technology is to be part of a UK government trial to bring better internet connectivity to remote parts of the country.
The technology, which uses more than 3,000 low-Earth-orbiting small satellites to beam broadband signals and is operated by firm SpaceX, will initially be trialled at three remote locations – Rievaulx Abbey in the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, Wasdale Head in the Lake District. and two sites within the Snowdonia National Park, the government said.
Recent tests have shown that in many locations, Starlink satellites can deliver internet speeds of up to 200 megabits per second – four times faster than the current average UK broadband speed of just 50Mbps, Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said.
The government said it continues to look at the system’s capacity, as well as looking at other solutions and services with different suppliers.
Musk, the world’s richest man, has become a polarizing figure in recent months after a tumultuous takeover of Twitter that has divided opinion over his push for less content moderation and mass layoffs on the social media platform.
On the satellite scheme, Culture Secretary Michelle Donnellan said: “High-speed broadband beamed to Earth from space could be the answer to the connectivity problems suffered by people on premises stuck in the digital slow lane.
“Ensuring that everyone can get a quality internet connection is crucial to leveling our plans and this trial aims to find a solution to the prohibitively high cost of laying cables in remote locations.”
Last month, Musk announced that his company would continue to pay for Starlink satellite internet in Ukraine, a day after indicating that it would not be able to continue funding the project which he said was losing about $20m a month.
He tweeted: “To hell with it. Even though Starlink is still losing money and other companies are getting billions of dollars from taxpayers, we will just continue to fund the Ukrainian government for free.”
Musk drew the ire of Ukrainians last month when he posted a tweet suggesting a Ukraine-Russia peace deal that would include formally annexing Crimea to Russia and holding UN-supervised elections in four Russian-held regions in Ukraine. Musk later denied reports that he had spoken to Vladimir Putin before floating the plan, which he presented as a Twitter poll.
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