Starlink network satellites visible in the sky in England, April 22, 2020. -

Stephen Chung / LNP / REX / SIPA

French authorities on Thursday authorized the Starlink network to operate in France.

The Telecoms Regulatory Authority (Arcep) has officially published its "license to operate frequencies linked to user terminals", the small dishes that will be part of the Starlink subscriber kit.

The service will allow future customers to access high-speed internet provided by thousands of satellites from Elon Musk's company, SpaceX.

It is the most extensive satellite constellation in history.

Relay stations needed

The goal is to mesh the sky in order, in fine, to provide Internet everywhere on the globe, with a very fast response time, made possible by the relatively low altitude of the satellites.

Starlink could be particularly useful in rural areas or those who do not have access to fiber or wired broadband.

To connect to the terrestrial network, the system needs, on the ground, a few relay stations equipped with domes and large antennas.

Three were previously authorized in France in Villenave-d'Ornon (Gironde), Gravelines (North), and Saint-Senier-de-Beuvron (Manche).

But in this last village of 350 inhabitants, the town hall is opposed to it as a precautionary principle.

Science

SpaceX: Starlink's satellites could be used to communicate once on Mars

High Tech

Starlink: Internet by satellite is not yet up to its ambitions

  • By the Web

  • Internet

  • SpaceX

  • Arcep