Elon Musk is set to use the Isle of Man as a base for his ambitious space satellite venture.

The billionaire founder of Tesla and SpaceX has been granted a licence to build a satellite station on the island.

Starlink, a SpaceX subsidiary, aims to blanket the earth with high speed internet access from a constellation of satellites.

Starlink already has bases in Buckinghamshire and Cornwall and it’s believed a Manx station would allow it to provide full coverage across Britain.

Some Manx customers have already signed up to the broadband service, according to the local regulator. Chief operating officer of the Communications and Utilities Regulatory Authority (CURA) Sue Strang said: ’As the economic regulator for the telecoms sector, the authority is of the view that Starlink will potentially add more choice and switching options for consumers in the already competitive broadband market.

’The satellite operators in this market, such as Mantis, Optifi and Starlink, could potentially serve customers who currently have limited access to, or choice of, traditional broadband services, particularly those in rural areas.’

It’s been reported that Starlink has launched more than 800 satellites and hopes to have 12,000 by 2026. CURA has granted Starlink the right to use certain frequency ranges and to install equipment on the island. CURA said it had been made aware of potential demand for the ranges, known as the ’Available Spectrum’.

Starlink was the only company to express an interest in the spectrum bands, although both Manx Telecom and Sure have made representations to the regulator seeking clarification that the use of the frequencies would not interfere with their systems.

In its application, Starlink stated that it ’will use this spectrum to bring high speed, low latency broadband internet to the Isle of Man’.

Customers can expect to pay £439 for the hardware and a further £89 a month to receive Starlink’s broadband.

Once installed, the dish connects to the constellation and promises download speeds of up to 210 megabits per second.

The Isle of Man broadband average is 19.29 megabits per second.

Starlink has acquired an ISP licence to provide services in the Isle of Man.

The Department for Enterprise says infrastructure is already being commissioned for a Starlink base.

A spokesperson said: ’Digital Isle of Man has been working with the associated parties for some time, and it is excellent to see this project moving to the next stage. This is very exciting and positive news for the island which will enable the deployment of satellite broadband service on-island and further afield. Locally, the licensing of available spectrum will provide more choice for local consumers and potential for further jobs within the island’s telecom sector.’

The DfE says Starlink has been working with local operator BlueWave Communications.

The spokesperson said the importance of protecting existing spectrum users has been a consideration throughout, adding: ’It should be noted that this news will have no immediate impact on the island’s provision of terrestrial telecommunications services, particularly with regard to the upcoming award process to make 5G services available on the island.’

The Department for Enterprise says infrastructure is already being commissioned for a Starlink base.