SpaceX Starlink’s satellite internet will soon be available for Canadians

SpaceX can shortly begin providing Canadians satellite internet service from Starlink. The country’s regulators — the Innovation, Science and Economic Development department, in particular — have approved the company’s request for regulatory clearance, allowing it to provide beta connections to the high-speed internet network provided by Starlink’s satellite constellation.

The beta trials of the service only started a few days ago after SpaceX sent emails to individuals who had previously signed up to collect further information about it. The plan costs consumers $99 a month in the US, not including the $499 initial expense to join the network for the hardware kit required.

To lower people’s expectations, SpaceX called the beta program “Better Than Nothing Beta.” In the email, it clarified that the service would suffer from inconsistent performance and brief periods without initial connectivity. However, early testers have been sharing mainly positive results, with some reporting download speeds of over 100 Mbps.

SpaceX has always planned to include Canada’s more rural areas in the first list of locations where it plans to offer beta access. However, for the time being, it could only reach a limited number of places, as it still wants approval for its ground stations in the country.

According to SpaceQ, that means the beta program would initially available in areas served by US ground stations. The company is trying to make Starlink more widely available until it achieves full global coverage by the end of next year.