【1984 Archives】

You984 Archivesput money down on Elon Musk's next technological venture right now, as long as you're willing to wait.

SpaceX recently launched pre-orders for its upcoming Starlink satellite internet service. Anyone who does so will pay $99 up-front just to get their foot in the door. Just know the pre-order page on Starlink's website says you may not get access to the service for quite a while, based on where you live.

The site told me Starlink would be available in my area in mid-to-late 2021, though CNBC noted that people in some regions were given a 2022 time window. As has been the case since a small beta program started last year, the service will ultimately cost $99 per month with a $499 initial fee for hardware.

Oh, and the fine print says that putting down a deposit now "does not guarantee service," in case you needed an excuse to wait.

Starlink claimed in a recent FCC filing that it already has 10,000 users in limited service areas of the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. Our friends at PCMag got positive results when testing Starlink's service last October, but it's probably safe to be skeptical of anything Elon Musk is involved with until it delivers widespread results.

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