Elon Musk’s Starlink on Track to Boost British Train Wi-Fi Coverage

It may be the last thing people who prefer quiet and relaxing train journeys want to hear, but Elon Musk’s Starlink is being lined up to help British rail passengers make better onboard phone calls.

Boosting Connectivity

According to a report in The Sunday Telegraph, English and Welsh train operators are looking at Starlink satellites to improve patchy Wi-Fi connections on their trains.

They are reportedly currently examining whether Starlink could be used to boost connectivity after a six-month trial of the technology began in Scotland last month.

The idea is that Starlink’s over 7,000 low-Earth orbit satellites could help maintain connectivity on the main line when trains lose contact with a mast.

This satellite connectivity would also allow passengers and staff to make Wi-Fi phone calls and allow accurate GPS-based tracking of trains.

Clarus Networks, based near Glasgow, is trialing Starlink technology for Scottish operator ScotRail on lines from Inverness to Wick, Aberdeen and Kyle of Lochalsh that often divert many miles from the nearest mast. The company said it was working with a number of train operators elsewhere in the UK.

Starlink on the March

A spokesman for Network Rail told the paper that the Clarus trial was exciting and that satellites were likely to be “part of the answer to securing decent mobile and Wi-Fi connectivity for passengers across Britain.”

A Department for Transport spokesman said: “We are supporting train operating companies’ trials to assess the suitability of satellite technology to deliver significant connectivity benefits for the railways.”

Starlink is continuing its international expansion. Last month, The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) granted the company a license to operate, while it also signed a deal with CNH Industrial (CNH) to bring satellite connectivity to farmers.

Is TSLA a Good Stock to Buy Now?

Of course, Starlink is still a privately held company, so let’s see how Musk’s publicly traded company, Tesla, fares with Wall Street analysts these days. Tesla sports a Hold consensus based on 16 Buy, 10 Hold and 11 Sell ratings. It has an average price target of $282.70 implying an 18.40% downside.