SpaceX’s Starlink satellite broadband operator is reportedly testing a global roaming service for $200 a month.
Via PCMag, some Starlink customers received an email invitation about its upcoming “global roaming service.”
The email says the service allows the Starlink terminal to “connect from almost any location on Earth.”
Global Connectivity
The service operates through inter-satellite laser links. Its goal is to provide global connectivity.
“Because this is a new technology, typical high-speed, low-latency Starlink service could be interspersed with brief periods of poor connectivity, or even no connectivity at all,” SpaceX warns, while clarifying that the service “will improve significantly over time”.
Also of note, the service is “subject to regulatory approvals”. And these have not been granted in all regions of the world. Some countries have indeed not approved Starlink.
Starlink Maritime
This global “on land” service comes as SpaceX has already begun to deploy its Starlink maritime service on the seas and oceans. Starlink maritime costs $5,000 per month, with a $10,000 starter kit.
Marine service is also subject to regulatory approvals. Currently, it is available from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Chile, Poland, Switzerland, Austria, and Belgium.
Although this service is expensive, SpaceX supports that it is actually much cheaper and better than VSAT alternatives.
Exclusive availability in US dollars
The SpaceX email clarifies that the global roaming service is only available in US dollars. Customers based outside the United States are thus “responsible if they decide to act as a registration importer for the Starlink kit”. This responsibility “may include the payment of customs duties and import taxes, if necessary. Global roaming services are dependent on regulatory approvals.
This new service is different from Starlink for RVs, available for land use in North America, Australia and most of Europe for around $135 per month.
Source: ZDNet.com