Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) has tweeted that Starlink has received regulatory approval to operate in Canada.
On November 5th, Elon Musk tweeted a response to popular YouTube channel Linus Tech Tips that states Starlink is “Awaiting approval from Canadian authorities.”
A day later, the @ISED_CA Twitter account confirmed that the satellite internet company can now operate in Canada.
Oddly enough, neither Musk nor the Starlink Twitter accounts have posted anything official regarding more testing or a Canadian launch. Still, we’ll likely see an announcement from the company in the coming days.
.@SpaceX is joining the effort to help get Canadians connected to high-speed Internet!
Regulatory approval for the @SpaceXStarlink low Earth orbit satellite constellation has been granted!
— ISED (@ISED_CA) November 6, 2020
In response to MobileSyrup, a spokesperson for Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Navdeep Bains said, “Innovation, Science and Economic Development has provided the regulatory approval for the use of the required spectrum for SpaceX’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation Starlink in Canada. This regulatory approval will allow them to begin using their Starlink Constellation to provide high-speed internet connectivity to rural and remote communities in Canada.”
Starlink utilizes the low-earth-orbit satellites that SpaceX has been launching to offer the internet. The company is specifically discussed, targeting rural locations in Canada where internet access is limited or very slow. So far, the service has been operating in beta, with some users reporting download speeds of up to 100Mbps.
Source: ISED (@ISED_CA)