SpaceX introduces new Starlink Premium tier that offers speeds of up to 500 Mbps

[nanoguy]

In brief: With over 1,900 satellites in orbit, SpaceX is taking the next step with a new Premium tier that promises higher download and upload speeds and includes a larger antenna that should work better in extreme weather conditions. The new tier won't come cheap, but it's flexible and will offer 24/7 prioritized support for users.

This week, SpaceX has quietly introduced a new and pricier tier for its Starlink service called Starlink Premium. The move was revealed on Twitter by none other than SpaceX founder Elon Musk, and it appears the new service tier is primarily targeted at business and enterprise customers who need more bandwidth.

Starlink Premium includes a larger, higher performance antenna and promises download speeds between 150 megabits per second and 500 megabits per second, with a latency of around 20 to 40 milliseconds. For reference, the standard tier promises download speeds between 50 and 250 megabits per second. The Premium tier also doubles the upload speed of the standard tier to anywhere between 20 to 40 megabits per second.

These advantages will come at a significant increase in both upfront and monthly costs. The standard Starlink service costs $99 per month and the hardware costs $499; Premium will set you back $2,500 for the antenna and $500 per month. Those interested in the new tier will be required to make a deposit of $500, which is fully refundable.

A more interesting feature of Starlink Premium is that its users will get access to 24/7 prioritized support. Overall, the new tier looks like a great way for people in remote areas to get access to high speed broadband, and the new dish is supposedly designed for improved performance in extreme weather conditions.

Those interested in Starlink Premium can sign up here, and deliveries are expected to start in Q2 2022. In the meantime, SpaceX has been growing its constellation to over 1,900 satellites in orbit. As of writing, the standard tier has more than 145,000 users across 25 countries, and the company is authorized to have up to 4,408 satellites in orbit.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/93229-spacex-introduces-new-starlink-premium-tier-offers-speeds.html

 

[scavengerspc]

Its a test. Can high speed internet users be as stupid as a Tesla buyer.

 

[wiyosaya]

This Starlink service is definitely aimed at the users who neither have nor can afford service from any ISP at this data rate. It even sounds like it targets those in rural India.

 

[Lionvibez]

Not worth it for $500 a month.

 

[netman]

Complete rip-off...! Not to mention that it goes to crawl on raining days...!

 

[Lionvibez]

Complete rip-off...! Not to mention that it goes to crawl on raining days...!

Heavy rain or wind can also affect it but I'm not sure how you can avoid that with a dish mounted outside.

 

[wiyosaya]

Heavy rain or wind can also affect it but I'm not sure how you can avoid that with a dish mounted outside.

I don't know much about Starlink, but with DirecTV or Dish Network, I was able to mitigate the effect of "Rain Fade" for TV reception by aligning the dish to the satellite more precisely.

With Starlink dependent on a many satellite model, I would be surprised if there is anything that can be done about Starlink "rain fade".

 

[Phaetos]

Do they still shutdown and fail when the outside temp goes over 100 degrees?

 

[Raytrace3D]

Wonder if they offer static IPs as this new option. Having static IPs would certainly make it more compelling. I'm going to be paying over 300 a month for similar service (due to a lack of competition in my area) for my business internet (but with static IPs). If I had no other options, dropping 500 a month for those speeds would be very compelling.

On a side note, seeing all of the negative comments already in this thread points to an obvious ignorance associated with many of these posts. This product is not targeted for general residential customers who already have amazing internet and do not operate a business or require reliable internet and specifically for people who have no other alternatives. You're not just paying for higher speeds but priority support. Try finding another provider that offers this level of service on top of a mountain or 100 miles from no where and then you might have something to complain about. So many keyboard warriors on this site... it's becoming more and more toxic like wccftech every day.

 

[Austinturner]

Its a test. Can high speed internet users be as stupid as a Tesla buyer.

Maybe its aimed at businesses who need that performance?

 

[ahumadh]

Maybe its aimed at businesses who need that performance?

here in Maldives we have to pay $ 5k for 40MB per month

 

[dangh]

here in Maldives we have to pay $ 5k for 40MB per month

wow... seems like starlink is better

 

[scavengerspc]

Maybe its aimed at businesses who need that performance?

What business large enough to need broadband would use that instead of other available options? I can see it in developing countries though.

But to aid your lack of comprehension, I present this:

Definition of JOKE

something said or done to provoke laughter; especially : a brief oral narrative with a climactic humorous twist; the humorous or ridiculous element in something; an instance of jesting : kidding… See the full definition

www.merriam-webster.com

 

[Raytrace3D]

What business large enough to need broadband would use that instead of other available options? I can see it in developing countries though.

I think you just answered your own question.. the key word is "available options". If other options are not available, it's an easy decision. $500 a month is chump change for even a small business if it's a source of revenue generation.

 

[MartinLouwen]

I live in honduras,
we pay 100 dollar for a 4 mbs so even 500 dollar for150 + mbs if we can share with 5 houses we have 7.5 times more speed.
its not for the first word, but the third world would be so happy
p.s. can we get it here.
4hanks

 

[HeeeF]

The regular tiers are fantastic for competition in Rural Australia. The government-funded NBN Skymuster just has too much latency (800ms) and the datacaps are a joke (max 150gb peak data for AU$200+)

 

[shark975]

Most interesting to me was the article statement that the service has 145,000 users across 25 countries. That number seems FANTASTICALLY low. Given there's like 100 million households in the USA alone.

I hope Starlink succeeds but anyway.

Playing with the #'s some more, if they're all paying 99 a month, thats $14.5 million a month. Again just "feels" low. The service must just be bleeding money. Who knows how much they are losing on every $500 dish. A lot presumably.

 

[dragosmp]

Wonder if they offer static IPs as this new option. Having static IPs would certainly make it more compelling. I'm going to be paying over 300 a month for similar service (due to a lack of competition in my area) for my business internet (but with static IPs). If I had no other options, dropping 500 a month for those speeds would be very compelling.

On a side note, seeing all of the negative comments already in this thread points to an obvious ignorance associated with many of these posts. This product is not targeted for general residential customers who already have amazing internet and do not operate a business or require reliable internet and specifically for people who have no other alternatives. You're not just paying for higher speeds but priority support. Try finding another provider that offers this level of service on top of a mountain or 100 miles from no where and then you might have something to complain about. So many keyboard warriors on this site... it's becoming more and more toxic like wccftech every day.

I would agree. Past 5 years I lived close to an urban area, but which is completely ignored by ISPs. Great village, amazing school, but no internet. Had to go 4G unidirectional antenna and even then it wasn't great. If you run a consultancy bussiness from a place like this, 500 is a bargain, way cheaper than having to rent a place in the city, commute and everything. The price would be harder to justify if all I need it for is Netflix and WoW

 

[Manu Arg]

500 mb internet for someone that lives in the middle of nowhere? sounds amazing

 

[scavengerspc]

I guess Im just not going to get the attraction guys.
Why this for $2500 + $500 a month and not Viasat for $45 to $150 month?

 

[Lionvibez]

I guess Im just not going to get the attraction guys.
Why this for $2500 + $500 a month and not Viasat for $45 to $150 month?

does Viasat offer comparable latency and throughput as Star link? if not that is the difference in price.

 

[dragosmp]

I guess Im just not going to get the attraction guys.
Why this for $2500 + $500 a month and not Viasat for $45 to $150 month?

Upload latency kiils videocalls on geostationary sats, the order of magnitude for latency is around 800ms. This could make it a nice solution for emergency or download-only.
Viasat's stuff is at around 35000km, while Starlink is at 500km. This of course means there can be no stable connection with one Starlink satellite, they race past you to keep from falling in the atmosphere, and need to handover (so they need the coverage and numbers). With Viasat you have a 1:1 direct link to the satelite, but to keep that one from falling in the atmosphere these GSO sats need to be placed higher up.

Starlink vs. Viasat vs. HughesNet: Satellite Internet Compared

Starlink is the new satellite internet kid on the block, but how does it stack up against the OGs?

www.makeuseof.com

 

[captaincranky]

here in Maldives we have to pay $ 5k for 40MB per month

You suck at math in English. How can 40 MB of data cost you $5,000 a month? The average "erotic art" photo set, is pushing 1 GB. By your count, it would take you about 2 years and around $40,000 to download it.

If that's anywhere near close to being true, maybe it's time to hire a coyote to get you the hell out of there.

 

[captaincranky]

This Starlink service is definitely aimed at the users who neither have nor can afford service from any ISP at this data rate. It even sounds like it targets those in rural India.

And just think how many phone and internet scams they'd have to pull off to pay those bills

 

[scavengerspc]

does Viasat offer comparable latency and throughput as Star link? if not that is the difference in price.

I agree completely. But why does latency matter for a business? And for $400 more. I used internet for video conferencing in Rostov on Don Russia that had average 1100 ms latency, and it worked fine. Don't get me wrong, it was far from perfect, but the delay was still not as bad as the delay we see with a news report with an offsite interview.

Gaming? I can see it.

Keep in mind, I'm not trying to be contrarian. I honestly can't see how this makes sense.

You suck at math in English. How can 40 MB of data cost you $5,000 a month? The average "erotic art" photo set, is pushing 1 GB. By your count, it would take you about 2 years and around $40,000 to download it.

If that's anywhere near close to being true, maybe it's time to hire a coyote to get you the hell out of there.

Ready for this? In Maldives net access can easily run $25 equivalent a day.