On May 21st, SpaceX announced a significant increase in the monthly fee for Starlink services, with a whopping 100% surge.
According to the official statement, the Starlink cost for users has been raised from $200 to $400 per month (in Europe, the monthly service price has increased to €450). Customers who cancel within 30 days of purchase can receive a full refund for both hardware and services; those who bought hardware last year are eligible for a half refund.
Before accessing the satellite communication services provided by Starlink, all users are required to purchase a terminal receiver. The standard terminal is priced at $599, while the high-performance terminal costs $2,500.
Previously, SpaceX announced the successful use of Starlink satellites to send text messages, allowing users to use their existing phones without the need for a switch.
According to SpaceX, the latency of Starlink has significantly decreased, marking a major victory for networks that have been plagued by high latency.
The latest Starlink whitepaper from SpaceX indicates that the service has reduced median latency and peak latency in the United States by 30% and 60% respectively.
Currently, the latencies stand at 33 milliseconds and 65 milliseconds, while the median and peak latencies for global Starlink users have decreased by 25% and 35% respectively, with significantly improved internet speeds (178Mbps, faster than 4G).
