What is Starlink? A complete guide to Elon Musk’s satellite internet revolution

Unlike traditional satellite providers, which often struggle with speed and latency, Starlink uses a constellation of thousands of small satellites that can communicate with one another to deliver high-speed internet with low latency.

This is achieved using decades-old satellite internet service technology. Instead of using cable, which is what most broadband services rely on, Starlink uses radio signals in space to send a broadcast to satellites in the lower orbit to relay the data to users.

While the company has already launched thousands of satellites, SpaceX says it wants to expand the constellation to around 42,000 tablet-sized satellites in the lower orbit to meet its increasing demand, which will help increase connectivity and reduce the overall latency.

Companies like Viasat, HughesNet and Amazon are already offering satellite internet connectivity for years, but Starlink has a trick up its sleeve that allows it to deliver high-speed internet without wires. Instead of relying on a handful of large satellites, Starlink uses small satellites that have lasers to transmit signals amongst one another. This helps the company reduce its dependency on ground-based stations.

Starlink is a plug and play solution that brings internet to the most isolated areas of our planet. (Image Source: Starlink)

Getting Starlink is really easy. The company sells its installation kits via retailers like Home Depot, Target, Best Buy, Walmart and others in the U.S. and has also tied with other platforms and offline retail chains around the world. If you want to use Starlink in your home or on the go, simply buy the Standard Kit and you are good to go.

You can either set up Starlink yourself or ask someone to install it on your behalf. To set up Starlink, just point it at the sky, plug it in and you are good to go. If you are unsure where to install, download the Starlink app on your phone to help find the best location.

Why choose Starlink over other satellite internet providers?

While Starlink’s internet speeds are not as high as fibre and cable-based solutions, it is really useful if you happen to live in an area with no or slow internet connectivity solutions. Previously, Starlink speeds maxed out at around 150 Mbps, but with the increase in the number of satellites, a recent video shared on X (previously Twitter) shows Starlink’s internet service offering speeds up to approximately 264 Mbps.

However, this greatly varies depending on which region of the world you are in, so remote locations might get slower internet while you may get more than 150 Mbps in areas with great connectivity. Starlink also offers a map on its website, which lets you see how fast its internet is in various parts of the world.

What is the pricing structure for Starlink’s services?

Previously, those interested in Starlink had to shell out a huge sum of money to buy installation kits, but the price of these kits has come down since then. Starlink currently offers three types of hardware that cater to different users.

If you are looking to use Starlink for your home, be ready to shell out $349 for the standard hardware and $120 per month for data. For those who want internet connectivity on the go, the Starlink mini kit costs $599 while the standard kit is priced at $349.

While Starlink Mini users can either go with the $50 plan that comes with 50GB data, you can shell out $165 monthly to get unlimited data. On the other hand, the standard kit supports only the $165 plan that comes with no data limits.

Lastly, if you want to use Starlink on boats, it costs $2500 for the hardware only, with optional accessories like a pipe adaptor and Gen 3 Wi-Fi router priced at $120 and $199 respectively.

But if you don’t want to spend so much money, the standard kit works on boats but only if you are stationary. For boats, Starlink has a $250 monthly plan that comes with 50GB of data and a much pricier plan that costs $1000 per month and gives you 1TB of data.

Starlink subscription is flexible unlike most internet providers

Unlike most internet service providers, Starlink has no contracts. This means you can pause and resume the service as you like as well as switch between plans without any depending on your data needs. The company is also giving a 30-day free trial and says it will issue a full refund if you are not satisfied with the service.

Starlink is available in the majority of North America, South America, Australia and parts of Europe. Also, it is still unclear if Starlink will expand its service to China anytime soon. Starlink is also not available in India due to regulatory hurdles, but Indian telecom minister Jyotiraditya Scindia recently said that similar to other nations, the country is exploring options to allocate spectrum for satellite communication, as laid down in the Telecommunications Act, 2023.