1379 replies to this topic

[Blair M.]

I just received my notice that my Starlink plan was increasing as per VW's post above, from 50GB to 100GB, and unlimited lower speed after that - this increase in service coming at no additional cost to me.

Because I don't use my Starlink for constantly streaming videos or doomscrolling the internet, this increase will guarantee that I'm always online, anywhere in North America, with high-speed connectivity, and for the fixed fee of CDN$70.00 per month.

 

(I never went over 50GB previously, so 100GB is almost overkill for me).

[Mike K.]

How soon before Canada tries to tax this service, to make it uncompetitive? $70 is a heck of a deal.

[Blair M.]

How soon before Canada tries to tax this service, to make it uncompetitive? $70 is a heck of a deal.

Looking at my invoice, I most definitely already pay PST and GST - so some sort of additional tax wouldn't be impossible, but it would require a change in the law, as well as requiring Starlink's cooperation in adding any additional tax (and then remitting it to the Feds).

 

With no physical presence in Canada, and the link being one that is largely untouchable as it's directly between me and a satellite, even the current PST and GST seems to require Starlinks voluntary participation in collecting, and then remitting it to the Canadian Gov't?

[Victoria Watcher]

I thought with 5G they would just put modem type things on all the poles. Dispense with wires coming to the house.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 15 January 2026 - 06:37 AM.

[Blair M.]

Wired 5G is currently faster than Starlink, but it does require that hardline connectivity in order to maintain that speed.

Running 5G through a modem on a pole would make 5G slower than Starlink, at which point you would have to wonder which would be the better option. 

 

Underlying all of this is that nobody really knows for sure just how fast Musk could make Starlink - in that it's currently being throttled (but by how much, we don't know).

 

Regardless, IMO it's wireless that's the future.

Wired devices will, for most people, vanish. 

[Victoria Watcher]

But even Starlink can’t put enough in space to cover metropolitan areas. So while it might soon be wireless in cities, it’s not coming from space.

[Blair M.]

Starlink will be able to cover everywhere in the world, and everybody who wants internet connectivity when it's fully deployed.

The final tally on the number of satellites planned is around 45,000, compared to around 9500 today. 

 

In future, wired internet may indeed remain a choice, but it definitely won't be a requirement. 

[Victoria Watcher]

It can cover the world but it can’t handle that many subscribers.

Musk says that even at full buildout it can serve less than 1% of the world’s users.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 15 January 2026 - 08:01 AM.

[lanforod]

Home wifi isn't going anywhere. Perhaps how you get the initial Internet signal to it might change over time, but latency is still a thing and fibre is going to beat it probably forever, there is no really fixing wireless attenuation through walls until quantum communications is fully a thing.

LTE/5g also isn't going anywhere, it'll be a long time before smartphones can universally work with satellites for all data.

[Blair M.]

Communication infrastructure in 2036 and beyond will have people looking back to January of 2025 and wondering how we ever even managed with dinosaurs like Shaw and Telus. 

Even Starlink will be seen as an amateurish, somewhat nascent attempt at unlimited high-speed communication made available to every corner of the world. 

 

Quantum comms is just around the corner, after which everything changes, and nothing we take as "state of the art" today will even continue to exist.

 

It's all happening faster than one might imagine, but the popular press makes too much profit distracting the public from the assorted truths that will speak to what the actual future will look like. They accomplish this by focusing our attention's on assorted world conflicts, ICE, Trump, petroleum resources, A.I., and anything else they can drum up to distract the public from the reality of not only where we are now - but where we're actually headed tomorrow. 

 

The only remaining wire coming from a pole into my house in 2026 is one from B.C. Hydro. Once perovskite solar panels (or more likely an as yet discovered technology that's even cheaper and more efficient) become available, that final piece of cable stretching from the pole on the street over to my house will also disappear for good, as it will for every house, in every city, and finally - in every country.

[Victoria Watcher]

Most consumers need nothing over streaming grade speeds. The most complex thing we do is watch a movie or video or TV show.

The rest

is for limited others.

We will see how it plays out.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 15 January 2026 - 01:00 PM.

[Blair M.]

We will see how it plays out.

There's the rub - we probably won't.

For those that are over 50, the unfortunate reality is that we will likely be dead, senile, or otherwise incapacitated by the time things get really interesting.

 

Ride whatever tech-wave you feel comfortable riding I guess, and leave the rest of the plebs to fret about ICE, Trump, A.I. - and whatever else "they" can use to distract us all from the actual reality. 

[Victoria Watcher]

^ Yes!



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Edited by Victoria Watcher, 16 January 2026 - 12:27 PM.

[Victoria Watcher]

As of February 2026, Starlink has more than 10 million active customers (or subscribers) worldwide.This milestone was officially announced by SpaceX/Starlink recently, with reports confirming it crossed:

• 9 million in late December 2025
• 10 million by mid-February 2026

The service is now available in over 160 countries, territories, and markets, and growth has been rapid—adding roughly 1 million users in under two months from the 9 million mark, equating to over 19,000–20,000 new customers per day at peak recent rates.

 

 

 

 

Starlink's revenue figures are estimates since SpaceX (its parent company) is private and doesn't publicly disclose detailed breakdowns. As of early 2026, with Starlink having surpassed 10 million active customers (announced in February 2026), analyst projections for 2026 annual revenue center around $18–19 billion for the Starlink business unit itself.

 

Key recent estimates include:

• Payload Space (a leading space industry analyst firm) forecasts $18.7 billion in Starlink revenue for 2026. This would represent about 79% of SpaceX's total projected revenue of $23.8 billion for the year, driven by rapid subscriber growth (doubling to around 18 million by year-end) from the 9.2 million at end-2025 and now 10+ million.
• Other independent projections (e.g., from Quilty Space, Sacra, and various reports) align in the $15.9–18.7 billion range for Starlink in 2026, with some conservative views around $11–16 billion depending on ARPU (average revenue per user) assumptions and mix of consumer, maritime, aviation, and government/military contracts.
• For context, 2025 estimates were around $10–12.3 billion for Starlink (e.g., ~$10.4 billion per Payload, or ~$10 billion per Sacra), making up 65–80% of SpaceX's ~$15–16 billion total revenue that year.

Elon Musk has emphasized that the "vast majority" of SpaceX's revenue in 2026 comes from the commercial Starlink system (with NASA/government only ~5%). Growth is fueled by:

• Subscriber additions (recently ~19,000–20,000+ per day at peaks).
• Expansion into new markets, Direct-to-Cell partnerships, maritime/aviation segments, and government contracts (e.g., Starshield).

These are analyst projections based on subscriber trends, pricing (~$50–120/month ARPU varying by region/plan), hardware sales, and contracts—actuals could vary as Starlink scales and profitability improves (positive free cash flow expected). Sources include Payload Space models, Reuters, Yahoo Finance, SatNews, Forbes, Bloomberg, and Musk's own statements on X.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 16 February 2026 - 09:48 AM.

[Victoria Watcher]

They get about $2M per day in brand new money (new customers) then that money recurs every month going forward (less any churn).

[Victoria Watcher]

https://x.com/Starli...284498555924671

 

[Victoria Watcher]

[Victoria Watcher]

Bell and Telus reached an agreement after a months-long battle over wholesale access to each other’s networks.

Per the Globe and Mail, the two carriers agreed to withdraw complaints they had submitted to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC). The commission closed the case file on Feb. 27 and wrote in a letter that it “expects that any processes and procedures associated with the wholesale provisioning of [high-speed access] will apply to all wholesale customers equally.”

In the complaints, the carriers accused each other of deliberate attempts to block access to their respective networks after Telus launched home internet services in Ontario using Bell’s network, and Bell launched internet in Western Canada through Telus’ network via the CRTC’s wholesale access framework.

https://mobilesyrup....etwork-sharing/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 03 March 2026 - 02:52 PM.

[LJ]

A few of my friends use Infomir Mag522 hardware and an IPTV provider for their television service. They swear by it.

 

Purchase the hardware for about $200 and first portal is $20, second and third $10 each.

 

Stream over 25000 tv channels from many different countries and thousands of movies.

 

I think I will give it a try, all you need is internet access and you can take it with you anywhere.

 

Thoughts?

[Matt R.]

Sounds like the set top box the Hot Dog Guy / Droid Media makes. I’ve seen a demo recently, looks pretty slick and the value, well it’s impossible to beat.