SpaceX's Starlink service is at a standstill in several locations in the United States as the company's website displays a 'sold out' notice to users looking to apply for the satellite internet service. Because of this, users are being put on a waitlist like when it was first made available, specifically in many major cities in the country on the West Coast, as well as other countries.
The company's growth has skyrocketed over the past years, and it is one of the most popular satellite internet services available for global users; Starlink is best known for use in rural areas.
Some Starlink Applicants are Being Directed in the Waitlist
According to the latest report by Ars Technica, many aspiring Starlink users who are looking to apply to make a change on their internet access are now being directed to a waitlist, but only in specific parts. It has already been a year since Starlink first removed its waitlist for users when it was made widely available for the public to purchase, yet it remains unknown why SpaceX affected this.
There are several reasons why Starlink is now putting users back on the waitlist, and this includes hardware stock unavailability or its satellites cannot keep up the connections on serviced locations.
Nevertheless, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell previously shared that Starlink is close to achieving 5 million users in the world, with the company operating only over 6,400 satellites orbiting the planet.
SpaceX's Starlink is 'Sold Out' in the US and MORE
Users who visit the Starlink Availability Map can see the several major cities in the country marked as 'sold out' in the United States, with the likes of Seattle; Spokane, WA; Portland, OR; San Diego, CA; Sacramento, CA; Austin, TX; and states like Colorado, Montana, and North Carolina.
Outside the US, several cities are marked to be 'sold out' and this includes Canada, Mexico, London, Ukraine, South Korea, and the Philippines' Manila and nearby regions.
Starlink and its Wide Global Availability
After expanding its services globally, SpaceX has been on a roll with the significant success of Starlink when it was made widely available across different regions, and this led to the company even offering discounts for users. Earlier this year, the United States offered as much as $200 price reductions for every purchase of its satellite receiver dish under its 'Regional Savings' program.
For the good part of 2023 and 2024, Starlink's availability in its serviced territories not only expanded, but their hardware stocks were also sufficient to supply the many orders from aspiring users. Apart from that, SpaceX also offered different kinds of technologies, including its Starlink Mini, which was meant to bring portability features available to many. Still, it has a bad rep for its data cap.
SpaceX brought significant connections to the world, and it is highly praised for offering users a chance to enjoy fast internet experiences even in areas that do not have terrestrial connections as it relies on its satellite constellation. After removing the waitlist, Starlink is now bringing it back as the company is struggling to fulfill orders in several regions, with major cities seeing it 'sold out' and unavailable for users.
