SpaceX has reportedly entered a partnership with the San Francisco-based content delivery network service Cloudflare to enhance its Starlink satellite Internet download speeds. As more and more people or businesses sign up for Starlink, SpaceX has already shot nearly 5,000 satellites into orbit, including high-bandwidth second generation V2 units.
These provide up to four times the capacity of the V1 satellites and have greatly increased Starlink's Internet speeds and general reliability in recent months. SpaceX even started relaxing area waiting lists and signup restrictions, or didn't go ahead with previously announced bandwidth limitations.
Now, however, it is trying to preempt the inevitable boom in bandwidth usage from activities like video streaming that is certain to come with the capacity increase. The Cloudflare partnership will greatly increase the network of terrestrial mini data centers which SpaceX needs to ensure that Starlink satellite Internet delivery will be evenly distributed around the globe and won't budge under heavy streaming loads.
Meanwhile, Costco Japan has started selling Starlink terminals in a rare move for a retail store chain. In the US, Home Depot recently started selling Starlink dishes on installments with store pickup in a sign of changing times. In Japan, Costco is giving a signup bonus that can also be used towards your monthly Starlink satellite Internet fee.
It seems that SpaceX is doing whatever it makes local sense for the distribution of its Starlink service, as recently it even wiggled its way into a Telstra carrier bundle in Australia for reaching out to users in remote areas there in a more convenient manner.