From 24/7 Wall St. · Rich Duprey · · 2m
Musk's Starlink bet: carrying half the world's internet in 10 years
SpaceX's next satellite generation could multiply bandwidth by 100x and capture the majority of global internet traffic within a decade.
In brief
SpaceX's next satellite generation could multiply bandwidth by 100x and capture the majority of global internet traffic within a decade. Starlink V3 satellites targeting 10 terabits per second (with a path to 100+ Tbps) could transform the company from a broadband provider into a carrier of most global internet…
Starlink V3 targets 10x more bandwidth
SpaceX's next-generation satellite will deliver roughly 10 terabits per second in both directions, with a path to over 100 Tbps. That's an order of magnitude jump from V2 satellites.
“Connectivity per sat will be more like 10Tb in both directions and there is a path to 100+Tb.”
Two orders of magnitude revenue boost
SpaceX plans to launch roughly 10 times more V3 satellites than V2, creating a two order of magnitude increase in total bandwidth. Even if pricing drops 10x, Starlink revenue could grow 10 fold.
“Even if our monetization per bit drops by a factor of 10, that would still mean a 10x increase in the revenue of Starlink.”
Majority of world's internet in under 10 years
Musk predicts Starlink will carry the majority of global internet traffic within a decade, at least in countries where SpaceX is allowed to operate. He tied demand to AI, robotics, and autonomous vehicles.
“It's not out of the question that at some point, Starlink will deliver a majority of the world's internet... It's less than 10 years.”
Q2 revenue surges 92 percent
SpaceX reported $7.81 billion in total revenue for Q2 2026, up 92 percent year over year. Connectivity revenue hit $4.3 billion, growing 66 percent, with 1.7 million new consumer subscribers added.
Enterprise deals accelerate growth
Starlink signed major airline contracts with American Airlines, Southwest, Virgin Atlantic, Iberia, and Aer Lingus. The company also secured over $6 billion in multi-year Space Force Starshield contracts.
“Starlink has never lost an enterprise customer.”
1,000 V3 satellites needed for impact
SpaceX expects significant service improvements once roughly 1,000 V3 satellites are in orbit, targeted for the second quarter of 2027. Musk said the company will launch at least one flight per day within a year.
FCC approval still pending
The FCC accepted SpaceX's filing for up to 100,000 V3 satellites in mid-September 2026, but approval remains pending. Actual performance will depend on spectrum access, ground infrastructure, and launch cadence.
Ambitious claims remain unproven
The jump from earlier V3 targets of 1 terabit per second downlink to 10 terabits bidirectional is aggressive. The 10 Tbps vision, let alone 100+ Tbps, depends on execution across multiple fronts.
The essence
Starlink V3 satellites targeting 10 terabits per second (with a path to 100+ Tbps) could transform the company from a broadband provider into a carrier of most global internet traffic by 2036, but the claim remains unproven.
