For those of us outside of Spectrum’s service area on islands and rural areas of Maine, or off the grid, Starlink satellite service from Elon Musk now appears to be available for order and fulfillment in some cases as soon as a couple of weeks.

Test sites say they are getting around 150 megabits down and 30 up. Elon recently said the download speed is currently around 100-200 megabits and the speed is going to increase as more satellites are added. The testing period is now done and the units are in full production.

You can visit their website at www.starlink.com.

There is currently a backorder list of about 500,000 units but Starlink is ramping up production and if you are interested, it’s time to get in the queue.

The cost is $499 per receiver and $99 a month with no data limit and apparently will not go up in price as Spectrum does. If you fill out an order and the price is around $500, you will be shipping soon. If it’s around $100, that is a deposit which will be placed towards your purchase.

The receiver needs a clear North facing view to reach the satellites. They have a phone app that you should use to check the view out before you purchase.

The install is simple, you just put the unit on a flat surface and point it to the North and plug it in. It thinks for 5 minutes or so and then the dish is automatically oriented. Of course for permanent use you need to mount it and also run the cable. It comes with a router with basic settings, but you may need someone with a little bit of router expertise to help you configure it if you want something more complex.

Maine Coast TV has no connection with Starlink. We just appreciate well done technology.