Starlink’s testing a new satellite internet service it says will let you “connect from nearly anywhere on land in the world,” according to the company email received by users.
The service is dubbed “Global Roaming Service,” and it will cost $200 per month in addition to the $599 Starlink Kit. However, the service, which employs “Starlink’s inter-satellite links to deliver connectivity around the globe,” comes with a significant caveat.
Starlink warns users that they should expect “Starlink’s typical high speed, low-latency service intermixed with brief intervals of weak connectivity, or none at all, while it works to expand its satellite network but that this will “improve considerably over time.”
It’s unclear how the SpaceX-owned company will follow through on its promise to provide internet from practically anywhere, given that it’s currently waiting for regulatory approval to offer internet connection in several critical regions, including Cambodia, India, and Pakistan. According to the email from SpaceX, global roaming services are “contingent to regulatory approvals.”
SpaceX already provides a few restricted roaming choices. But, most importantly, the company’s Portability package for existing residential users allows those customers to utilize their Starlink terminal while traveling inside their home continent.
The package is less expensive than the global roaming service SpaceX recently began emailing potential customers about, at $25 per month on top of the company’s $110 monthly subscription fee, but the company requires those who spend “an extended period of time” away from home to change their permanent address.