Google Cloud is the new partner for Starlink satellite internet
Starlink satellite internet, which is likely to soon become one of the most important internet services in the world, now has a new famous partner with a familiar name: Google.
Google's cloud service will now host Starlink ground stations under a contract, and these stations will be installed in Google's data centers, and Google will be responsible for Starlink's network and computer support.
"The combination of Starlink's high-speed, low-latency internet with the infrastructure and capabilities of a company like Google ensures the creation and connection of a modern, secure service," said Gwynne Shotwell, CEO and chairman of SpaceX. "We are proud to work with Google to provide great access to businesses, public organizations, service providers, and many other groups around the world.".
Google itself has announced that the company succeeded in concluding this contract with Starlink in a situation where there were other competitors in this field.
With this partnership agreement, SpaceX will deploy its ground stations in Google's data centers and provide satellite internet through them.
Starlink is trying to start providing its internet services to companies in the second half of 2021 (this summer), and given the contract with Google, it will have the opportunity to launch its services more quickly and easily.
The deal is a victory for Google and its cloud service, which has been able to expand its services in this market despite competitors such as Amazon and Microsoft. Given the decline in Google's advertising revenue, the company is now looking to compensate by expanding its services in the cloud market.
Although Google's cloud revenue accounted for only 7% of Alphabet's revenue (in the first quarter of this year), it grew 46% year-over-year during the same period.
You can order Google-provided servers.
Using Google's communication capabilities
The Starlink deal is a unique type of partnership for Google or any other cloud provider. The deal relies on Google's internal network and connectivity between data centers, while most cloud customers focus on outsourcing computing services and data storage to data centers.
Bikash Koley, Director of Networking at Google, says: Nothing like this has ever been done before. They chose us because of the quality of the network, the distribution, and the broad reach. Google launched its cloud services at least six years after Amazon, but Google's network manager says the company has invested in a private fiber network to connect its data centers over the past two decades. The bulk of the company's revenue now comes from serving high-profile clients like Goldman Sachs and Snapchat.
Cloud service providers are increasingly focused on the telecommunications industry, especially with the launch of 5G mobile. According to a person familiar with the matter, the agreement between Google and SpaceX is a seven-year contract. In October last year, Microsoft announced that it was working with SpaceX to provide Starlink internet services on the platform of modular Azure data centers.
Google's rise in the cloud world
Google has come a long way to becoming the kind of company that SpaceX would entrust with its servers and services for a global project. In 2016, the company hired Diane Greene, a well-known figure in Silicon Valley, to head its cloud services division.
Before joining Google, he worked as a mechanical engineer designing and building various boats and single-seater sailboats, and has now become a prominent figure among researchers active in the technology field in Silicon Valley. Greene is the founder VMware She rose to fame working alongside her husband, Mendel Rosenblum (a prominent Stanford professor). VMware eventually became a technology juggernaut, but Greene left after the company was acquired by EMC.
After this, he worked at a new startup called Bebop Technologies until Google acquired the startup for $380 million.
Before Greene took over, Google had a patchwork of cloud-based services and products. For example, Google for Work included a suite of Google Apps, Chromebooks, and other products like video conferencing services, but there was no way to ensure that these services would work together properly.
Despite having strong competitors, Google was able to gain a significant share of the cloud market. Amazon, which is also the world's most valuable company, is also the largest cloud service provider. Well-known companies such as Google, Microsoft, SAP, etc. offer numerous cloud services at different levels.
The Corona period was a period of prosperity for the cloud industry in the world, so that all players in this field experienced significant growth, but concluding large contracts is the secret to the rapid rise of companies in this space, and although Microsoft has been able to obtain contracts during this period, now Google has also been able to host the world's largest internet distribution project.
Starlink satellite internet
Satellite internet is nothing new, but the type of service and the distinctive quality and speed of Starlink are what set it apart from similar models. SpaceX, now a major space company, has been launching satellites related to this project regularly for the past two years. SpaceX aimed to place 12,000 satellites in three different orbits above Earth.
In the first layer, 1,440 satellites are in an orbit of 550 kilometers, in the second layer, 2,825 satellites are in an altitude of 1,110 kilometers, and in the third layer, 7,500 satellites are in an altitude of 340 kilometers. The company has launched a total of 1,385 satellites into orbit as of March this year. The company has announced that it will launch Starlink satellites into space in batches of 60 every two weeks this year with a Falcon 9 rocket.
Starlink has activated its first test services for parts of the world and, according to users, has had very acceptable quality and speed. The company announced that the price of its services is $ 99 per month. However, users must pay another $ 499 to use these services and receive equipment. This price includes the cost of the router and dish.
According to experts, the first areas to use the Starlink satellite internet service will be areas where internet and telecommunications lines are not available. With the partnership of Google and SpaceX, it can now be said that access to this service has become much closer to the point of service provision, and it remains to be seen what will happen in the future.
