The story about the appearance of Starlink in Birmingham began one spring night in 2020 when many city residents saw a mysterious strip of lights in the sky. There were plenty of opinions and versions on its origin. Some thought that it was shooting stars or a whole column of aeroplanes in the night sky. In fact, everything turned out to be even more unexpected. The lights were satellites launched by Elon Musk’s company SpaceX. Learn more about it at birmingham-future.com.
Lyrid meteor shower
Confused Brummies expressed their great surprise after the night with a series of mysterious lights in the sky. The explanations varied from the standard one-line shooting stars to a column of planes because of the lockdown in the city.
The strange phenomenon continued into the following week. It mostly occurred late at night or early in the morning. The sight was impossible to miss. Moreover, residents of Birmingham and the whole of West Midlands reported that they enjoyed the free show. For example, one of the witnesses posted a video on social networks assuming it was the Lyrid meteor shower and only after reading many articles on the network did she realise that it was the Starlink satellite constellation. At the same time, the woman urged residents of the city to keep their eyes open and watch the lights next week.
Moreover, people started to post the schedule of the lights passing over Birmingham and other cities in the UK on social networks. As it became known, the time of the satellites’ flight over different cities didn’t differ significantly, only a few minutes. To find out the time when the satellite constellation could be seen in your city, you had to enter your location on a site.
In addition, the “director” of the show enabled tracking the movement of lights using the Starlink programme. It automatically calculated when the SpaceX satellite was expected to pass over your current location.
Mega constellation
So, as it turned out, those lights were the last series of satellites launched by the American entrepreneur Elon Musk’s SpaceX company. SpaceX has been launching satellites since May 2019 and that column of lights became a relatively common sight in the skies over the UK over the next few days.
The satellites were part of the entrepreneur’s plan to improve global Internet coverage. At that time, the company had already launched more than 300 satellites from the 12,000 planned. That was just the first batch and in the future, the number of such satellites was to grow to 42,000. So, once the plans are fully implemented, the network, known as a mega constellation, will be able to transmit Internet coverage to any place on Earth.
SpaceX’s idea was to provide the most remote places around the world with low-frequency Internet. The US Federal Communications Commission has granted the company permission to fly these 12,000 satellites as part of the project. As a result, Starlink satellites were visible over the UK until April 24.
When everything was sorted out, the Birmingham provider began to conduct outreach work among its customers who had many questions. For example, whether Starlink would work in the UK in general and Birmingham in particular or what were its benefits and how much these services would cost. Starlink has been available in the UK since 2021, covering almost the entire territory, with the exception of the northernmost parts of Scotland. However, according to the Starlink UK Internet coverage map on the provider’s website, the entire country was covered in early 2023. Interested users could check the map to find out whether their location was included in the coverage area.
Revolutionary Internet
That’s how Starlink officially arrived in Birmingham, bringing what the provider claimed was the Internet revolution. They were calling to give up slow speeds and poor network connections for Starlink, a game-changer. With its cutting-edge satellite technology, Starlink promised to deliver fast and reliable Internet, even in the most remote areas of Birmingham.
What really sets Starlink apart from other Internet providers? For starters, Starlink boasts speeds of up to 150Mbps, making it one of the fastest options on the market. In addition, its low latency ensures smooth streaming, so gaming and video calls are free from annoying pauses and delays. Another great thing about Starlink is its easy installation, which means no digging or complicated setup is required. It was very easy for residents of Birmingham to get Starlink working.
The company also offered a short installation expectation period that could vary depending on demand and availability. Typically, when a person orders a Starlink kit, they can expect to receive it within a few weeks and have it installed shortly after.
According to the provider, Starlink’s main benefits are its reliability, Internet speed and quality. Many residents of Birmingham had long dreamed of saying goodbye to dropped calls during video meetings, endless loading of their favourite shows and annoying lag when playing online games. Starlink has offered and continues to offer all Birmingham residents uninterrupted online access, ensuring stable connection in any location in the city.
Speeds you can’t help but love
According to nearly 500 tests conducted by ThinkBroadband between March 2022 and August 2022 in Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England, the average download speed of Starlink Internet in the UK is 106.1 Mbps and the average upload speed is 9.72 Mbps. This is a great option for those looking for a faster Internet. In addition, with a simple installation process and user-friendly interface, Starlink is very easy to set up in your home or business.
What’s more, compared to other satellite Internet providers, Starlink offers Birmingham residents unlimited access, while competitors have limited bandwidth and significantly slower speeds. Even though Starlink equipment is quite expensive, it’s a one-time fee for the entire service period, while competitors charge a monthly subscription prices. Additionally, HughesNet and Viasat require a 24-month commitment, while Starlink offers a 30-day trial.
The only downside to Starlink back then was that it didn’t have enough global coverage and a long waiting period to process a new order. At the time, 750,000 prospective customers were waiting in line for its services.