SpaceX adds Starlink portability feature for extra $25 per month
Starlink costs $110 per month for standard service, $500 per month for premium service
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SpaceX introduced a new portability feature that will allow Starlink customers to temporarily move their satellite internet service anywhere within the same continent where active coverage is available.
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Starlink, which is available in a handful of countries and designed primarily for rural and remote areas where connectivity has been unreliable or completely unavailable, charges $110 per month for standard service and $500 per month for premium service. The Starlink kit costs $549 for deposit holders and $599 for new orders and the portability feature is available for an extra fee of $25 per month.
SpaceX advertises download speeds between 100 megabits and 200 megabits per second for standard users, 150 megabits to 500 megabits per second for premium users, and latency, or the time it takes to send data from one point to the next, as low as 20 milliseconds in most locations.
Starlink, which is available in a handful of countries, currently charges $110 per month for standard service and $500 per month for premium service. ( (Photo by Pavlo Gonchar / SOPA Images/Sipa USA / Reuters Photos)
The portability feature can be immediately enabled from Starlink users' account pages. Customers with multiple Starlink setups must purchase the portability feature for each location separately. Individuals who use Starlink in a foreign country for more than two months will be required to move their registered address to the new location or purchase an additional Starlink satellite dish to maintain service.
Starlink designed primarily for rural and remote areas where connectivity has been unreliable or completely unavailable (Photo courtesy of SpaceX) (SpaceX / Fox News)
"Portability service is provided on a best effort basis. Stated speeds and uninterrupted use of services are not guaranteed," SpaceX notes on its customer support page. "Starlink prioritizes network resources for users at their registered service address. When you bring your Starlink to a new location, this prioritization may result in degraded service, particularly at times of peak usage or network congestion."
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The new feature comes as SpaceX is "actively working to make it possible to use Starlink on moving vehicles," including automobiles, RVs and boats.
The aerospace giant recently struck partnerships with Hawaiian Airlines and semi-private air carrier JSX to provide inflight Wi-Fi through Starlink. The service is expected to roll out free to JSX customers later this year, while Hawaiian Airlines will begin installing it on aircraft next year. Starlink is also undergoing testing for Delta Air Lines flights, according to its CEO Ed Bastian.
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SpaceX, which does not currently support Starlink use in motion, warns that doing so at this time will void the limited warranty of customers' kits.
The aerospace giant confirmed in March that it has a total of approximately 250,000 Starlink subscribers, including both consumers and enterprise customers.
Ukraine's vice prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, estimates that Starlink has roughly 150,000 active users per day in the country.
More than 2,000 Starlink satellites have been launched into orbit by SpaceX to date. The constellation is currently authorized for a total of 4,408 satellites, all in orbits at around 550 kilometers (about 342 miles).