well, not a week (or almost) without SpaceX or Starlink news. This time, it is all about the new Starlink mini antenna. It has been announced in the United States end of June for a price of US$599. It is required to already have a residential subscription and the Mini will add $30/month to that for 50GB of data. This pricing is for the USA and of course it will vary with the countries.
On the technical side, this antenna is a flat pannel of roughly 30x26x4cm: imagine a slim coffee table book like the latest book from Thomas Pesquet. Weight is not bad either with less than 1,6kg (with cable and stand) or the weight of a 14`Mac Book Pro. On the speed side, it can accomodate 100MBps down and 11MBps up. It can be powered via an 20V/5A adaptor or a 100W power bank. Such power banks are available for less than $100 and 25/30AH of juice to power the antenna for something like 2/3H. The Starlink Mini is not designed for mobility: in fact it is a transportable antenna that can be installed in a few minutes.
Will it change the world? Well, it is for sure another step towards the dominance of Starlink that will rule the satcoms as Google rules the Internet. We can only admire his ability to deliver great and attractive products and how he succeeded in freezing the competition, be it in Europe (where is IRIS2?) and even in the US (seems like Jeff Bezos retired…)