Elon Musk’s Starlink Internet service and Argentine telecommunications provider Telecentro have extended their strategic alliance, the firms have announced.
Within 15 days, the two firms will install mobile Internet connections and 300 antennas at 300 rural schools across Catamarca Province, connect 113 schools across the Puna region of Jujuy Province, supply 130 sites in San Juan Province and take 100 schools in Corrientes Province online.
In the private sector, the firms have managed to install connectivity for the lorry fleet of the Scania factory.
Earlier this year, Starlink and Telecentro announced an agreement to offer high-speed, low-latency Internet to organisations, businesses, and professionals throughout Argentina.
The firms are targeting rural areas where traditional infrastructure has limitations, including rural and remote zones as they vie to grow the business in Argentina.
Other targeted areas include education, banking, industry, agriculture and mining firms.
Alberto Pierri, owner of Telecentro, was recently invited to Starlink’s launch base (also used by NASA, located in Florida) to visit SpaceX, Musk’s rocket and satellite factory.
The latest generation of SpaceX satellites, commonly known as Starlink V3 or “Starlink 3.0”, offers high-speed satellite Internet with performance similar to fibre-optic connections. This is a game-changer for regions where there is no infrastructure to access traditional services, or where access is highly limited.
Earlier this month, SpaceX launched a new group of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Station in Florida, aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. Over the next three years, Starlink intends to launch as many as 84 satellites a week.
According to Musk’s announcements, the Starlink V3 satellites will have download speeds of up to one terabit per second (Tbps) – 10 times faster than the previous generation. Upload speeds will also see a substantial increase: up to 160 gigabits per second (Gbps), approximately 24 times higher than what the current generation offers.
– TIMES/PERFIL
Comments