SpaceX to Offer High-Speed Internet from Space to Rural Canada

Elon Musk's space exploration company, SpaceX, has been shuttling its Starlink satellites up to Space and these may start to become useful in the very near future. 

The company has applied for a license with Canada's telecom regulator, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), as per the Globe and Mail newspaper, who first reported the information. 

The license is the Basic International Telecommunications Services (BITS). 

SEE ALSO: SPACEX SUCCESSFULLY EXECUTED 9TH STARLINK LAUNCH, DEPLOYING 58 SATELLITES AND 3 SKYSATS

Rural Canada with high-speed internet

If SpaceX's BITS license application is successful, that means that the company could potentially offer more wireless telecom services later on, such as voice and data plans. For the time being, however, it's purely focusing on high-speed internet. 

This would be beamed directly to people's homes and offices from SpaceX's Starlink satellites. 

Canada is only the beginning of SpaceX's plan. The company has its eye on the U.S. market later on in the year, before "rapidly expanding to near global coverage of the populated world by 2021," as per the company.

CRTC information states that nearly up to 40% of Canadians who don't live in major urban hubs have no access to high-speed internet. This could be a potential game-changer for many people. 

The application was filed in May and this Friday is the deadline for public comment. Over 1,200 Canadians have given their two cents on the matter, with a large portion of them in favor of it. 

If any of these areas had faster and more affordable internet, many younger generations wouldn't feel the need to move away, to urban zones.

Mahdi Hossinzehi, a resident of Cedar Valley, Ontario, about 30 kilometers north of Toronto, said "With fast, reliable and affordable internet, rural areas will benefit immensely economically, and a lot of younger people won't end up leaving for the city."

Iqaluit resident Brandt Chu also mentioned that he's in favor of the proposal because of how remote life can be in Nunavut, and other territories.

"Any reasonable proposal that could really connect us to the rest of the world should be welcomed," he said.