(Reuters) – Comcast’s enterprise services unit signed a deal with SpaceX’s Starlink to provide satellite-based connectivity to business customers in regions with limited network access, the global media and technology firm said on Friday.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
The deal is the first of its kind between a network operator and a satellite network to provide space-based connectivity to enterprise customers.
The move further cements Starlink’s lead in satellite-based communication networks, ahead of emerging competition from Amazon.com’s Kuiper and Viasat, among others.
CONTEXT
The Elon Musk-led rocket maker operates the largest constellation of communication satellites and provides internet connectivity to residential and business customers, largely in locations with limited or no access to the internet.
Starlink also has a partnership with T-Mobile to provide its customers with satellite-based connectivity in locations with no cellular reception.
BY THE NUMBERS
Comcast said in April it had about 2.5 million business customers for broadband in the United States at the end of the first quarter, raking in about $2.41 billion in revenue.
(Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)
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