Starlink opened pre-orders for his service in February for a $ 99 deposit, but it doesn’t look like the company intends to offer any kind of plan to more people hoping for some options.
SpaceX PResident Gwynne Shotwell, who spoke at a Satellite 2021 LEO Digital Forum panel on Tuesday, said she did not “think we will price levels for consumers” for Starlink satellite internet service CNBC. Shotwell added that the company “will try to keep it as simple and transparent as possible, so there are currently no level plans for consumers”.
This could be a make-or-break for potential subscribers who were hoping for a smaller – or even more premium – version of the service than they currently offer. Refundable $ 99 offering security deposit which was launched in February does not cover the total cost of the service.
Starlink installation kit costs $ 499 and includes a power supply, a wifi router and a mountable antenna. Shipping and handling will add at least another $ 50 to that price. And then there is the service itself, which costs $ 99 per month. This could make the service less accessible for, for example, low-income households in rural areas. And those customers could be better served of Starlink satellite service than it could be with 5G.
But this is what Shotwell said Starlink is trying to serve, commenting that the company “will be able to serve every rural household in the United States,” according to CNBC, or about 60 million people.
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If this is the case, it would appear that Starlink should seriously reassess its initial costs.