Last week, people who had registered interest in the service on the Starlink website began receiving emails from SpaceX to join the beta test, called "Better Than Nothing Beta," Ars Technica reported. To participate, users must purchase the Starlink ground equipment for $499 and then pay a $99 monthly fee for active service, according to Ars Technica.

Since May 2019, SpaceX has been launching Starlink internet satellites in batches of about 60, with the goal of creating a megaconstellation consisting of thousands of small, broadband-beaming satellites. The network will provide global internet coverage from space, SpaceX representatives have said.

"Expect to see data speeds vary from 50Mbps [megabits per second] to 150Mbps and latency from 20ms [milliseconds] to 40ms over the next several months as we enhance the Starlink system. There will also be brief periods of no connectivity at all," thel invite said, according to Ars Technica, which cited an email that a user in Washington state posted on Reddit and one forwarded along by a user in Wisconsin.