At one point, you could buy SpaceX’s Starlink for as little as A$199, but those days are over. The new entry price for Starlink hardware in Australia has risen to now cost A$599.00, while the monthly cost remains at A$139 per month,
Starlink is a low-Earth orbit satellite constellation that SpaceX continues to expand, delivering high-speed internet to areas that are underserved or unserved by traditional internet providers (read: NBN).
Most satellite internet services come from single geostationary satellites that orbit the planet at 35,786 km. As a result, the round trip data time between the user and satellite—also known as latency—is high, making it nearly impossible to support streaming, online gaming, video calls or other high data rate activities.
Starlink is a constellation of thousands of satellites that orbit the planet much closer to Earth, at about 550km, and cover the entire globe. Because Starlink satellites are in a low orbit, latency is significantly lower—around 25 ms vs 600+ ms.
The price increase for Starlink, combined with the reduction in delivery times, is likely due to an increase in production ability, combined with some rising cost of manufacturing and launching satellites, as well as increased consumer and business demand.
The Starlink kit arrives with everything you need to get online in minutes including your Starlink, WiFi router, cables and base. It is self-orienting and connects in minutes as long as it has a clear view of the sky. Optional mounts are available for mounting on a pole or roof.
Starlink is also offered in a number of different formats including business grade that offers higher speeds, mobility, maritime, aviation (coming later this year) and IoT.
Whether or not Starlink is worth it for you will depend on your individual needs and circumstances. If you live in an area with poor internet coverage, Starlink could be a good option for you. However, it is important to factor in the price of the hardware kit and the monthly subscription cost when making your decision.
