New Starlink subscription drops hardware price to $0

SpaceX is now offering 12-month residential service plans that bring the price of the dish and router — normally $349 in the US — down to $0 in select markets, without increasing the monthly fee. You have 30 days to test or return the kit for a full refund, but after that there’s some fine print to be aware of.

If you change the service address or cancel service, for example, you’ll be hit with a change fee equal to the cost of the hardware but prorated over time. Some subscribers will also be slapped with a onetime “demand surcharge” of around $100 in areas where SpaceX sees high usage.

Nevertheless, for many, this might be a good deal. At my home in the Netherlands, for example, the Standard Kit costs €349 under the normal Residential plan costing €50 per month. The new 12-month commitment plan brings the hardware cost down to €0 without increasing the monthly fee. The change fee is listed at €349. Presumably, SpaceX did the math and found that bringing in more monthly subscribers by lowering the barrier to entry offsets any losses on the hardware side

The 12-month residential plan has been quietly advertised in some countries over the last month but now Starlink is promoting it globally. It’s available in select markets in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, and New Zealand, and nationwide in most European countries. In Croatia, the plan only applies to the smaller and slower Starlink Mini kit.