Wednesday, 22 February 2023

Starlink Prices Are Increasing For Many US Subscribers

(Credit: Getty Images/olegda88)
(Credit: Getty Images/olegda88)
Many subscribers to SpaceX’s satellite internet service have been seeing their speeds drop over the past year, and now they’re getting more bad news. The company has decided to raise prices in the areas where it has the most subscribers. However, those in areas with lower Starlink usage could see their bill decrease.

When Starlink launched a few years ago, it was offering speeds in excess of 100 Mbps with latency only a little worse than wired broadband. That represented a massive upgrade over traditional satellite internet, which is often the only connectivity option for people in rural areas. SpaceX increased prices once in 2022, pushing the base subscription from $99 to $110. Since then, speeds have started to fall — down to 53 Mbps, according to the latest Ookla data — and SpaceX instituted a waitlist for new subscribers in most regions.

Now, US-based subscribers in areas with limited capacity will see another increase to $120 per month. If you happen to be in an area with excess capacity, SpaceX will cut you a break and lower the price by $20 to $90 per month. This is going to be bad for most Starlink subscribers because the areas of limited capacity cover most of the US. The entire west coast is at capacity, as is the swatch of land between the central US and the east coast. New subscriptions and the lower $90 rate are only available in New England and the west-central US.

There is a workaround if you need Starlink service immediately and don’t mind the cost. There’s no waitlist for Starlink RV, which lets you roam wherever you want for $150 per month. That’s up from the previous $135/mo price. You also have to buy the more expensive $599 ground dish. This service and other residential Starlink options are also slated to get a 1TB data cap at some point this year.

Clearly, SpaceX overshot Starlink’s subscriber capacity when it opened sales after a short beta test in 2020. The solution for this misstep is already in the works: Starlink Gen 2. SpaceX has gotten approval from the FCC to deploy 7,500 satellites in new orbits to bolster its coverage. The company has launched a small number of satellites for the Gen 2 megaconstellation, but these were based on the current satellite design.

The Gen 2 rollout won’t begin in earnest until SpaceX is ready to launch the Starship rocket, which has enough room for the larger Gen 2 satellites. Currently, SpaceX is working toward an orbital test flight for Starship, which has yet to fly with the Super Heavy first stage. SpaceX did, however, conduct a mostly successful test of the Super Heavy engines earlier this month.

(Editors’ Note: Ookla is owned by Ziff Davis, ExtremeTech’s parent company.)

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