The United Kingdom has given SpaceX permission to establish a 'Megasite' for the Starlink Gateway. The government intends to bring Internet connectivity to the countryside.

As the government works to provide internet access to countryside communities, the United Kingdom gave approval to build more Starlink Gateways. There are three operational Starlink Gateways in the country, which are ground stations with antennas that connect to fiber-optic infrastructures to access internet data and transmit it to the satellites.

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Starlink Gen2 Gateway "Megasites"! (h/t @kierank_). This is from a UK filing about a new site in Wherstead, UK being built by @HiberniaNetwork. The first of these sites appears to be in Prosser, WA, which was constructed in June 2022. @mikepuchol @Megaconstellati @RealTeslaNorth pic.twitter.com/yT8lW4xENO

— Nathan Owens (@VirtuallyNathan) December 5, 2022

There are plans for a Starlink Gateway 'Megasites' according to a filing. Ofcom approved the construction of six more Starlink Gateways, including one Megasite that is under construction in the United Kingdom. The Starlink Generation 2 (Gen2) system is designed to add more capacity to the network and will be supported by the Gateways. The U.K. The government launched a trial to test Starlink satellite internet across multiple countryside locations. 

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Vouchers are given to families and businesses to help expand internet access in rural and remote areas. The Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said the project will initially cover regions where it would be too expensive to lay out underground cable systems. 

It is easier to provide internet access to these areas with Starlink. It is easy to set up a user terminal if you have a network of low-orbiting satellites. Rievaulx Abbey in North Yorkshire Moors National Park, Wasdale Head in the Lake District and two sites within the Snowdonia National Park are the initial areas that will have access to the Starlink. 

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"High-speed broadband beamed to earth from space could be the answer to the connectivity issues suffered by people in premises stuck in the digital slow lane," said the Digital Secretary. Ensuring everyone can get a quality internet connection is crucial to our levelling up plans and these trials aim to find a solution to the high cost of rolling out cables to far-flung locations. We are kicking off plans for our biggest broadband build to date as we announce another £100 million is being spent as part of our Project Gigabit programme. ”

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