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Starlink competitor Xfinity launches data caps, which SpaceX says it will not use
SpaceX’s Starlink project has a series of main competitors in the internet market, one of the largest being Comcast’s Xfinity. The Philadelphia-based Comcast recently announced that twelve U.S. states would be subjected to data caps in 2021, or limits on the amount of data one household will have access to before being charged extra fees. Statements from the company have described anything over 1.2 terabytes of data usage accessible with additional fees of $10 per extra 50 GB.
The extra charges for additional data usage are somewhat staggering, considering many households’ current economic situation and the fact that local governments are advising many residents to remain indoors due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This leaves many people at home for work and leisure, with the internet being one of the few constants that remain in everyday life. While cellular devices are usually connected to residential Wi-Fi, other devices, such as smart TVs and streaming devices, are constantly connected to at-home networks, leaving the amount of data being used on a constant rise.
But surprisingly, this fact is not recognized by Comcast, nor is it stopping them from implementing the data caps in the states of Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia, as well as parts of North Carolina and Ohio, The Verge originally reported.
Comcast to impose home internet data cap of 1.2TB in more than a dozen US states next year https://t.co/nsQqyixDH2 pic.twitter.com/rv0XVeqKsb
— The Verge (@verge) November 24, 2020
In fact, it could be a way to combat customers from leaving Comcast’s television subscription services in favor of more affordable and flexible streaming options that are offered by platforms like Hulu and YouTube. The streaming services operate through a streaming device, like an Apple TV or Roku device, and use data to operate. This all contributes to a house’s data usage, and because of its ability to broadcast live television programs, it will use a substantial amount of internet data over the course of the month.
Comcast says that its average customer uses 308GB per month and that 95 percent of its customers do not get close to using the 1.2 TB threshold. But no statistic measures the data used in homes with more than one internet user or outlines the number of devices used in a home. With more people teleworking and having to rely on the home internet for productivity, the data usage is likely higher than normal.
All of these scenarios bode well for Elon Musk’s Starlink internet satellite program, which is currently operating in the Beta stage. Interestingly, Starlink Engineers performed an Ask Me Anything session on the r/Starlink subreddit and revealed that the satellite internet infrastructure would not use data caps when it enters public operation. The company intends to keep the service free of caps and added that it would only be implemented if technically necessary.
The company wrote:
“So we really don’t want to implement restrictive data caps like people have encountered with satellite internet in the past. Right now we’re still trying to figure a lot of stuff out–we might have to do something in the future to prevent abuse and just ensure that everyone else gets quality service.”
SpaceX’s intention with Starlink was to provide internet service to rural and remote areas. But now that the service is being launched and tested in high population areas like Los Angeles, it is obvious that Starlink will aim to serve every human being on Earth. As long as data caps continue to remain out of Starlink’s plans, there is a good chance that many customers of large Internet Service Providers will switch over to the more affordable and more forgiving Starlink service.
Elon Musk
Starlink achieves major milestones in 2025 progress report
Starlink wrapped up 2025 with impressive growth, adding more than 4.6 million new active customers and expanding service to 35 additional countries, territories, and markets.
Starlink wrapped up 2025 with impressive growth, adding more than 4.6 million new active customers and expanding service to 35 additional countries, territories, and markets. The company also completed deployment of its first-generation Direct to Cell constellation, launching over 650 satellites in just 18 months to enable cellular connectivity.
SpaceX highlighted Starlink’s impressive 2025 progress in an extensive report.
Key achievements from Starlink’s 2025 Progress
Starlink connected over 4.6 million new customers with high-speed internet while bringing service to 35 more regions worldwide in 2025. Starlink is now connecting 9.2 million people worldwide. The service achieved this just weeks after hitting its 8 million customer milestone.
Starlink is now available in 155 markets, including areas that are unreachable by traditional ISPs. As per SpaceX, Starlink has also provided over 21 million airline passengers and 20 million cruise passengers with reliable high-speed internet connectivity during their travels.
Starlink Direct to Cell
Starlink’s Direct to Cell constellation, more than 650 satellites strong, has already connected over 12 million people at least once, marking a breakthrough in global mobile coverage.
Starlink Direct to Cell is currently rolled out to 22 countries and 6 continents, with over 6 million monthly customers. Starlink Direct to Cell also has 27 MNO partners to date.
“This year, SpaceX completed deployment of the first generation of the Starlink Direct to Cell constellation, with more than 650 satellites launched to low-Earth orbit in just 18 months. Starlink Direct to Cell has connected more than 12 million people, and counting, at least once, providing life-saving connectivity when people need it most,” SpaceX wrote.
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Tesla Giga Nevada celebrates production of 6 millionth drive unit
To celebrate the milestone, the Giga Nevada team gathered for a celebratory group photo.
Tesla’s Giga Nevada has reached an impressive milestone, producing its 6 millionth drive unit as 2925 came to a close.
To celebrate the milestone, the Giga Nevada team gathered for a celebratory group photo.
6 million drive units
The achievement was shared by the official Tesla Manufacturing account on social media platform X. “Congratulations to the Giga Nevada team for producing their 6 millionth Drive Unit!” Tesla wrote.
The photo showed numerous factory workers assembled on the production floor, proudly holding golden balloons that spelled out “6000000″ in front of drive unit assembly stations. Elon Musk gave credit to the Giga Nevada team, writing, “Congrats on 6M drive units!” in a post on X.
Giga Nevada’s essential role
Giga Nevada produces drive units, battery packs, and energy products. The facility has been a cornerstone of Tesla’s scaling since opening, and it was the crucial facility that ultimately enabled Tesla to ramp the Model 3 and Model Y. Even today, it serves as Tesla’s core hub for battery and drivetrain components for vehicles that are produced in the United States.
Giga Nevada is expected to support Tesla’s ambitious 2026 targets, including the launch of vehicles like the Tesla Semi and the Cybercab. Tesla will have a very busy 2026, and based on Giga Nevada’s activities so far, it appears that the facility will be equally busy as well.
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Tesla Supercharger network delivers record 6.7 TWh in 2025
The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets.
Tesla’s Supercharger Network had its biggest year ever in 2025, delivering a record 6.7 TWh of electricity to vehicles worldwide.
To celebrate its busy year, the official @TeslaCharging account shared an infographic showing the Supercharger Network’s growth from near-zero in 2012 to this year’s impressive milestone.
Record 6.7 TWh delivered in 2025
The bar chart shows steady Supercharger energy delivery increases since 2012. Based on the graphic, the Supercharger Network started small in the mid-2010s and accelerated sharply after 2019, when the Model 3 was going mainstream.
Each year from 2020 onward showed significantly more energy delivery, with 2025’s four quarters combining for the highest total yet at 6.7 TWh.
This energy powered millions of charging sessions across Tesla’s growing fleet of vehicles worldwide. The network now exceeds 75,000 stalls globally, and it supports even non-Tesla vehicles across several key markets. This makes the Supercharger Network loved not just by Tesla owners but EV drivers as a whole.
Resilience after Supercharger team changes
2025’s record energy delivery comes despite earlier 2024 layoffs on the Supercharger team, which sparked concerns about the system’s expansion pace. Max de Zegher, Tesla Director of Charging North America, also highlighted that “Outside China, Superchargers delivered more energy than all other fast chargers combined.”
Longtime Tesla owner and FSD tester Whole Mars Catalog noted the achievement as proof of continued momentum post-layoffs. At the time of the Supercharger team’s layoffs in 2024, numerous critics were claiming that Elon Musk was halting the network’s expansion altogether, and that the team only remained because the adults in the room convinced the juvenile CEO to relent.
Such a scenario, at least based on the graphic posted by the Tesla Charging team on X, seems highly implausible.
Starlink achieves major milestones in 2025 progress report
Tesla Giga Nevada celebrates production of 6 millionth drive unit
