SpaceX’s Starlink is introducing a major price increase to its global roaming plan, which allows users to access the satellite internet service worldwide. On Thursday night, several Starlink “Mobile – Global” plan subscribers received an email from SpaceX notifying them about the price increase. The company previously charged US users $200 per month for the service, but now the price is doubling to $400 per month. According to the email, the rate hike goes into effect on Aug. 16 for existing customers. “For new customers, the price increase is effective immediately,” the company added.
(Credit: Reddit user hillz9)
Another user in Australia reports that SpaceX is increasing the price from $300 Australian dollars to $670. A separate customer in Zambia reported a similar hike. It’s unclear why SpaceX is raising rates; it didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the global roaming plan can act as a loophole for subscribers to access Starlink in regions where the satellite internet service is not officially available. The company has been cracking down on that practice in several African countries, where Starlink is still awaiting regulatory approval. In an email last month, SpaceX told affected subscribers in Africa that “the ‘Mobile – Regional’ plans are intended for temporary travel and transit, not for permanent use in a location.” That prompted dozens of NGOs to urge SpaceX to maintain Starlink access in Sudan, where residents are facing internet blackouts amid a civil war.
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The company appears to be keeping the “Mobile – Regional” roaming plan at $150 per month. SpaceX has been quietly increasing prices on other plans, including bumping the monthly fee for some US residential subscribers from $90 to $120, citing changing capacity limits in their area.
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