Starlink opens pre-orders for his service in February for a $ 99 deposit, but it does not appear that the company intends to offer any kind of plan to people who have been hoping for some options.
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell, speaking at a Satellite 2021 LEO Digital Forum panel on Tuesday, said she did not “think we’re going to do a low price to consumers” for Starlink’s satellite internet service, per CNBC. Shotwell added that the company “will try to keep it as simple and transparent as possible, and there are currently no plans to increase consumers.”
This could be a make-or-break for potential subscribers who was hoping for a discount – or for that matter – even more premium – version of the service than the one he currently offers. The $ 99 refundable security deposit offer rolled in February does not cover the total cost of the service.
The Starlink installation kit cost $ 499 en includes a power supply, a wifi router and a dish antenna. Shipping and handling will add at least $ 50 to that price. And then there is the service itself, which costs $ 99 per month. This can make the service less accessible for e.g. low-income households in rural regions. And those customers can be better served by Starlink’s satellite service than they can be with 5G.
But this is what Shotwell said Starlink was trying to serve, saying that according to CNBC, the company “will be able to serve an estimated 60 million people in every rural household in the United States.”
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If so, it would appear that Starlink needs to seriously reevaluate its upfront costs.