https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2021-04-14/elon-musk-starlink-operating-australia-what-is-it/100062862
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Lisa Powell received her Starlink satellite dish in northern Victoria this week. (Supplied: Lisa Powell)
Living 20 minutes out of Shepparton in northern Victoria, Lisa Powell and her family have struggled for years to get the good internet they need for work and study.
They've tried many options, including other satellite internet services like NBN Co's Sky Muster, and are now spending more than they'd like on mobile data.
"We spend upwards of $300 a month on internet and the speeds are pretty bad," Ms Powell said.
"For us to have good internet is going to be brilliant."
Last Friday, Elon Musk's company Starlink announced that after months of anticipation, a trial version of its internet service was live in Australia, starting with northern Victoria and southern New South Wales.
A Starlink satellite dish on a rooftop in Canberra.(Getty: James de Salis)
On Wednesday, Ms Powell received the $700 rooftop satellite dish she had ordered from Starlink earlier in the year.
In Facebook groups and chat forums, the Starlink news has been generally met with excitement and relief, although some are wary of the bold claims made on behalf of satellite internet and are urging caution.
Starlink promises to give people living in the bush what they've wanted for a long time; internet that's just as fast as that in the city.
But can it follow through on this promise?
And will it break down the rural-city digital divide and offer faster speeds for all Australians?
Starlink’s public beta test, known as "Better Than Nothing Beta," launched in October 2020 in the northern US and southern Canada, where users reported average download speeds of about 100 megabits per second (Mbps).
That's roughly equivalent to the speed of a very good NBN plan, or about twice a typical 4G mobile internet service.
And for people in rural areas without 4G reception or broadband cables, it's faster than anything else on offer.
The Starlink box with cables and satellite dish delivered to James de Salis in Canberra this week.(Supplied: James de Salis)