Internet
How Starlink plans to win the satellite internet race before it gets started
Starlink has been expanding pretty quickly across the globe, but its latest move feels like a warning shot.
In select markets like the U.S., Canada, the UK, Australia, and much of Europe, the company is now dropping the cost of its dish and router to $0, down from $349 (or €349), for anyone willing to commit to a 12-month residential plan. It’s the most aggressive offer SpaceX (Starlink’s parent company) has made yet, and the timing is hard to ignore, especially with Amazon’s Project Kuiper finally lifting off.
Starlink says its monthly plan, however, will stay the same: $80 for deprioritized data, or $120 for the higher-tier Residential plan. New users also get a 30-day risk-free trial, but after that, things get stricter. Cancel too soon, change your address, or miss a payment, and you could be hit with a prorated “change fee” that could climb right back up to the full hardware price.Amazon launches its first Internet-based satellites
There’s also a $100 “demand surcharge” in high-traffic zones like Texas or Florida, and that’s not covered by the promotion. So, while the hardware seems free, the exit fee, if triggered, could come with a hefty price tag.
Still, this feels like a strategic move. Starlink has already put more than 8,000 satellites in orbit and racked up over 5 million users worldwide. But now that Amazon is aiming to deploy over 3,200 satellites by 2026, and with Europe’s IRIS², the UK’s OneWeb, and China’s SpaceSail also building their constellations, the pressure is clearly mounting.
Starlink has tried price cuts before in different regions. But waiving the entire hardware fee is particularly striking, and something I hope makes its way to African markets soon.
For now, the company is betting that lowering the barrier to entry will help it lock in market share before the satellite internet race turns into a full-on price war. Because for Starlink, that early lead might not last forever.
Source: How Starlink plans to win the satellite internet race before it gets started
