The company says the loss won’t affect current Starlink service and that more satellites are planned to be launched throughout the year. These are their Gen1 Starlink satellites and among the first the company launched. Starlink is regularly using SpaceX rockets to launch more satellites to increase worldwide availability, but there are still major gaps in Starlink internet coverage compared to established nationwide satellite providers like Viasat and HughesNet. Starlink internet is currently not portable and is intended for stationary residential use. However, Elon Musk has announced plans to eventually expand Starlink service to RVs, cars, and boats. If you don’t see your country listed, fear not—Starlink is known for rolling things out with time, so as the company gets permission from governments, you may see this list grow.
According to SpaceX, atmospheric drag deorbits their satellites naturally in five years or less. However, they say they’re making the proactive decision to manually deorbit the satellites before they’re no longer able to, ensuring that they safely disintegrate in the atmosphere and not collide with other satellites. Starlink internet is currently available to most of the continental US, with notable black spots across the South and West, especially for Starlink RV coverage.
Starlink Maritime plans are technically now under the same umbrella as Starlink Mobility as well, but with a few differences. Since the service’s start, it has manually deorbited about 400 of its 4,000 satellites. They’re designed to be demisable, meaning that they completely burn up on reentry. Starlink is also available in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. SpaceX is regularly launching more satellites (and Elon Musk is tweeting about them), which means its availability is continually expanding.
Starlink internet plans
If you’re a Verizon mobile customer already, we suggest going with Verizon LTE Home internet over T-Mobile home internet just because you’ll get blazing speeds for only $25 a month. Starlink doesn’t offer TV or voice bundles currently, despite its variety of plans. So if you wanted both Starlink Standard and Starlink Roam (RV), for example, you’d need to pay both bills, so keep that in mind when deciding when signing up. As an important note, Starlink Maritime plans run by the same rules as the Mobility plans and data amounts listed above, so keep that in mind before you purchase.
The data amounts are definitely expensive, but if you somehow run out of Priority data, you’ll stay connected with Standard data, the same data tier Starlink Residential plans are given. The biggest difference you’ll see when comparing Starlink to Viasat and HughesNet is the monthly data allotment. Although Viasat and HughesNet technically offer unlimited data as well, your speeds will be slowed significantly (almost to unusable speeds) once you hit the data cap for your plan. If you’ve had satellite internet in the past, you know that having enough data can be an issue—especially if you stream on satellite internet or use a lot of data working over Zoom.
Starlink requires you to pay $599–$2,500 up front for the Starlink Kit (in addition to shipping). Starlink Mobility also exclusively uses the Flat High Performance Starlink, which means you have to pay $2,500 up-front equipment fees. Starlink Mobility is much more geared towards mobile businesses like emergency responders or luxury vehicle fleets. Monthly Starlink prices for satellite service range from $90 to $5,000 dollars, depending on the type of plan you want (fixed location or mobile) and how much Priority data or Mobile Priority data you want with it. Overall, Starlink residential is a great internet plan, as long as you remember that it isn’t available everywhere and that Starlink’s network can be a little unreliable.
Starlink fees
Many cell phone providers are partnering with Starlink to make sure their customers will have cell coverage even in the most remote regions, so Direct to Cell will kick in when and if you exit your primary cell provider’s coverage zone. Although on paper it may seem Starlink has Viasat beat when it comes to speed, Viasat is not https://www.crypto-trading.info/ far behind with 100 Mbps. But with the recent addition of Starlink Business, Starlink blows Viasat out of the water by offering 220Mbps speeds. That said, currently Viasat has a reputation for more reliable service and dependable speeds. For a more detailed comparison, you can always check out our Starlink vs. Viasat guide.
- Monthly Starlink prices for satellite service range from $90 to $5,000 dollars, depending on the type of plan you want (fixed location or mobile) and how much Priority data or Mobile Priority data you want with it.
- You can also get a refund on your equipment fee if you cancel your service within 30 days and return the equipment in good shape and in the original packaging.
- On February 12, 2024, SpaceX announced it intends to deorbit about 100 of its low-earth orbit satellites the company deemed were at risk of becoming non-maneuverable, though they did not disclose the reason.
- Keeping track of these data types, the Starlink plans they belong with, and the prices you’ll pay for both can be a bit complicated, so we’ve divided them out for you below.
- Starlink is regularly using SpaceX rockets to launch more satellites to increase worldwide availability, but there are still major gaps in Starlink internet coverage compared to established nationwide satellite providers like Viasat and HughesNet.
- Check out our reviews on Verizon LTE Home Internet or T-Mobile Home Internet for more, or search your zip code below to see if one of these great internet providers are in your area.
The easiest way to see when you can get Starlink is to enter your address on the Starlink website. The only downside to Verizon and T-Mobile home internet providers is that they aren’t available everywhere, just like Starlink. Check out our reviews on Verizon LTE Home Internet or T-Mobile Home Internet for more, or search your zip code below to see if one of these great internet providers are in your area.
In the meantime, check out our best satellite phone providers to stay mobile and connected in remote areas. Hughesnet, meanwhile, doesn’t match up to either Starlink or Viasat’s speed, but it’s not trying to. Hughesnet is the budget pick intended to deliver you broadband internet speeds for basic connectivity at cheaper prices than either. If you’re looking just for something that lets you browse your email and occasionally video call your family, this is the right choice for you. Starlink and Viasat are about equal when it comes to unlimited high-speed data, though Starlink’s technology offers lower latency for smoother internet usage. Either one will treat you well for speed and data, but we’d give the edge to Starlink.
Starlink Roam hardware costs $599 up front if you want the portable option, or $2,500 if you wanted it permanently isntalled on your vehicle to get satellite internet service even while you’re in motion. Starlink’s RV internet (Starlink Roam) also bills monthly with no contract, so https://www.cryptominer.services/ you can pause and resume service whenever you want. It comes with Starlink Roam’s Global plan, Starlink Mobility, and Starlink Maritime. The Flat High Performance Starlink is significantly more expensive, so you’ll notice all the plans it comes with are on Starlink’s higher end too.
Starlink internet installation
And while Starlink used have a waitlist, both its residential fixed-location and portable internet options are now available all across the US. Starlink internet is right for you if you live in a rural area where satellite internet is your best option and Starlink is available. Priority 1TB, like Starlink Standard, is intended for a fixed location, but unlike Starlink Standard it comes with Priority data, which means faster speeds. Priority 40GB costs $140 a month, Priority 1TB costs $250 a month, and Priority 2TB costs $500 per month. Starlink Priority is a luxury internet service tier that offers Starlink Priority data and speeds up to 220Mbps (which is less than the 150–500 Mbps it used to offer). It also costs a stiff $140.00–$500.00 per month depending on whether you want 40GB or 2TB of Priority data and requires a $2,500 equipment fee.
Monthly plan costs can also be lower with Viasat and HughesNet, depending on which plan you choose. That said, both require 2-year contracts while Starlink requires no contracts and doesn’t charge any installation fees. Starlink will even give you your money back if you return the equipment in good shape and cancel within 30 days. You’ll select your Starlink Business plan based on the amount of priority data you want, hence why it’s divided into Starlink Priority 40GB, 1TB, and 2TB.
Starlink data for on-the-go plans
It doesn’t disclose what that amount is, so what your data cap is remains to be seen. Our SatelliteInternet.com editorial team bases our analyses on research, results from our speed test tool, and proprietary internet provider data on speeds and pricing. We dig deep to get hard-to-find information on internet plans, fees, and upcoming brand developments. We make this information easy for you to find in one place via our in-depth reviews, and we use our satellite internet industry expertise to analyze the options to help you make the most informed decision for your household. Starlink’s service is still prone to service disruptions caused by a network that’s still in progress along with other connection issues that are inherent to low-Earth orbit technology. However, Starlink Business promises a stronger connection with prioritized bandwidth and weather-resistant satellite internet equipment.
How fast is Starlink internet?
That covers Starlink plans that are designed for a fixed location or permanent address. Things get a bit more complicated, or nicely customizable if you’re feeling optimistic, https://www.cryptonews.wiki/ with Starlink’s mobile internet plan offerings. Starlink internet reports speeds from 50–200 Mbps, but users may experience slower speeds due to network issues.
That last part goes doubly if your network area is currently overtaxed, or if you have Starlink Business or Starlink Mobility customers nearby because their data gets prioritized over your Starlink residential standard data. Starlink Priority plans are from there divided up by how much priority data you want. If you do run out of priority data in a month, you can either buy more (see table above for prices) or rely on the Standard data you’ll automatically be rerouted to thereafter.
For more on Starlink data tiers and how they affect your plans, read our Starlink data section below. Elon Musk said there are 1,915 active Starlink satellites currently in orbit as of March 22, 2022. Starlink is working with astronomers to resolve concerns about Starlink satellites obstructing the natural night sky. Some efforts include updating Starlink software to adjust positioning to make them invisible to the naked eye and deploying sun visors that darken satellites from sun Reflections. Starlink customers can find some financial relief in the lack of installation fee for Starlink, which we’ll cover more below.