The SpaceX subsidiary is testing a new “global roaming” package for 200 euros per month.
Starlink’s constellation of satellites aims to bring high-speed, low-latency internet access to underserved areas. The company quickly expanded its customer base with several packages aimed at mobile and sedentary users. But none of them allow access to the service with their own equipment anywhere in the world. This is what the company is trying to rectify by announcing a brand new plan, but which is not free from constraints.
A global package to connect “ almost everywhere in the world »
According to an email received by some Starlink users, this package uses ” the company’s inter-satellite links to provide connectivity around the globe “. It will cost $200 per month, on top of the $599 base kit, and can be stopped or paused at any time. The company specifies that this ” global roaming service will be limited to the regions served by its satellites and where it has the right to operate, despite its name.
Starlink also warns that this possibility of ” connect almost anywhere in the world may be accompanied by brief periods of low or no connectivity. It is also specified that this is a service ” earthly which is not intended to replace or compete with the company’s existing significantly more expensive marine service.
A strategy to reach new users
The SpaceX subsidiary already offers packages that offer its customers the opportunity to travel, but they have some limitations. For example, while the plan for nomads, which is priced at $135 per month, allows access to the Internet while on the move, it is only available in certain parts of the world. In addition, residential customers are always given priority, which results in slower speeds. The $25 per month portability option lets users take their device with them, but only if they are traveling to their home continent. In addition, they must change their permanent address if they are away from home for too long.
If the new Starlink service allows to go even further, literally and figuratively, we can also read in subtext that it is intended for regions where local authorities have not yet given authorization. . Indeed, it is clearly specified that if the client resides outside the United States, he then obtains the title of ” importer of record » of the connection kit. He becomes in fact responsible for the customs obligations and the corresponding taxes, thus avoiding any legal problem.
Source : The Verge
4