Starlink is a revolutionary satellite internet provider that has surprisingly taken over the internet world. Starlink is a satellite internet service under SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk. SpaceX designs manufacture and launches rockets and spacecraft.

SpaceX started launching Starlink satellites in 2019. At the end of September 2022, they launched more than 3,000 satellites into orbit, enabling affordable and fast satellite internet for its users. But is it worth it?

Starlink is ideally built to cater to areas around the globe where connectivity has typically been challenging. Their website states, “Unbounded by traditional ground structure, Starlink can supply high-speed broadband internet to areas where access has been unreliable or completely unavailable. With many households and rural families wanting fast and cost-effective internet, understanding the charges and performance comes a great way in determining whether it is worth it.

Starlink Charges

Starlink is an all-in-one package that provides fast speeds and reduced latency and comes at an affordable cost for all its users. But at what cost does it come with? You might ask. Below are the cost variations you will have to undergo to have a fully functional Starlink internet service for the various areas where it stretches its applicability.

When considering charges, we should consider the installation cost and prices on each Starlink internet package. The initial cost for the necessary hardware is now $599 — $100 more than the previous $499 price, constituting shipping and taxes. Starlink offers three internet packages, as shown:

• Starlink Internet: This package is made for domestic use and costs $110 per month with an additional hardware charge of $599.
• Starlink Business: The business package offers twice the antenna ability of the residential package, along with quicker internet speeds. It costs $500 per month, with an additional kit cost of $2,500.
• Starlink RV: The communication board authorized SpaceX to use Starlink with moving vehicles. So, people on the road can now access the Starlink RV package for $135 per month. 

The basic monthly Internet service costs $110, an increment of the original $99 monthly. If you desire new tier services, then additional charges apply. The traveling user or multiple IP address user will pay a $135 a month “active” service for the roaming advantage.

This portability feature covers you for any area that Starlink is available. Additionally, there is a business package service with a greater gain antenna and speed of 350 Mbps. The hardware for the business package costs $2,500, and a monthly charge is $500.

Starlink is also looking to increase revenues by offering commercial maritime and aviation services. The maritime package is $5,000 a month with a hardware cost of $10,000. The aviation kind also aims at commercial carriers starting in 2023 with a starting price of $12500 a month.

Starlink Performance

When deciding on the perfect internet provider, performance becomes a vital specification. Performance on satellite internet varies from the speed, latency, and how well it can persevere in all kinds of weather. Starlink initially aimed to provide speeds of 300 Mbs to all its users, but that is becoming a hard task.

Starlink offers unlimited high-speed data through satellite arrays that supply up to 150 Mbps internet speed. Speedtest by Ookla showed that Starlink recorded its fastest median download speed in Lithuania in the first quarter of 2022 at 160 Mbps.

Starlink also reached a speed of 91 Mbps in the U.S., 97 Mbps in Canada, and 124 Mbps in Australia. Starlink in Mexico was the fastest satellite internet in North America, with a median download speed of 105.91 Mbps. The Speedtest further revealed that upload speeds had seen a downward curve of at least 33% in the U.S. — from 16.29 Mbps in the first quarter of 2021 to 9.33 Mbps in the second quarter of 2022.

Starlink is far better than any satellite Internet services, which tend to be affected by snow and rain. Starlink thwarts snow by heating the dish and melting the flakes as they land. During heavy downpours, Starlink experiences a reduction in bandwidth Bandwidth would typically be cut in half during these periods to around 20 Mbps download speeds.

Starlink High-Performance Dish

SpaceX has announced a new tier for its Starlink satellite internet service with higher performance and over-roof pricing known as Starlink premium. It is a more powerful dish for the Starlink satellite system and is growing in targeting residential users. The company updated its website that it is now allowed for residential subscribers to order the standard $599 Starlink dish or a “high performance” dish for a whopping cost of $2,500. 

The high-performance dish was announced in February. But at the time, it was offered through another Premium tier that later became Starlink Business. It still necessitated interested users to pay $500 per month for the internet service. SpaceX is now selling the high-performance dish to regular consumers but nixing the $500 monthly internet fee. Instead, consumers can buy the $2,500 dish and pay the standard $110-per-month residential fee to receive internet via the dish.

FAQs

Conclusion 

Starlink has solved a problem that has plagued modern broadband services for years. The catch is Starlink availability is still highly limited across all its plans, and the equipment fees are steep. Anyone living in an area that does not have fast Internet access will find Starlink worth the praise it gets.

Although Starlink is not for everyone, those who need it understand that Starlink internet is a game changer that has managed to bring satellite broadband to remote rural areas where other internet options are not available.

Remember that Starlink is still deploying satellites and ground stations while working out the kinks. As more satellites reach Earth’s orbit and more ground stations are built, Starlink users will likely see the higher performance, such as improved download speeds and lower latency.