From ExtremeTech: Many subscribers to SpaceX’s satellite internet service have been seeing their speeds drop over the past year, and now they’re getting more bad news. The company has decided to raise prices in the areas where it has the most subscribers. However, those in areas with lower Starlink usage could see their bill decrease.
When Starlink launched a few years ago, it was offering speeds in excess of 100 Mbps with latency only a little worse than wired broadband. That represented a massive upgrade over traditional satellite internet, which is often the only connectivity option for people in rural areas. SpaceX increased prices once in 2022, pushing the base subscription from $99 to $110. Since then, speeds have started to fall — down to 53 Mbps, according to the latest Ookla data — and SpaceX instituted a waitlist for new subscribers in most regions.
Now, US-based subscribers in areas with limited capacity will see another increase to $120 per month. If you happen to be in an area with excess capacity, SpaceX will cut you a break and lower the price by $20 to $90 per month. This is going to be bad for most Starlink subscribers because the areas of limited capacity cover most of the US. The entire west coast is at capacity, as is the swatch of land between the central US and the east coast. New subscriptions and the lower $90 rate are only available in New England and the west-central US.
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