Photo: SpaceX | Edited
SpaceX has updated Starlink terms of use for the Standard plan to remove the 1-TB fair-use data cap. Following the update, the internet speed is no longer throttled after reaching the cap. SpaceX also introduced the ability to power down the Starlink overnight to conserve energy. This is useful for those living off-grid.
SpaceX is launching more Starlink satellites into space, slowly but surely expanding coverage and availability. Elon Musk's company has offered more features, data, or lower prices for its customers as things improve. At the end of March, SpaceX upgraded best-effort customers to the Residential tier with no additional costs. The move reflected SpaceX's increased capacity as more satellites were launched into orbit. As a consequence, internet speeds improved significantly.
Less than a month later, SpaceX changed the pricing structure of its Maritime plans so that the average boat owner could afford to pay for Starlink internet access. The move brought lower prices for the Starlink hardware and data plans starting at $250 per month. Now, there's more good news from SpaceX, as the company changes its fair-use policy.
According to letters sent to its customers, those who opted for the Standard plans will not be throttled anymore after reaching the 1-TB data cap. Until now, the internet speed dropped to 1 Mbps after exhausting the allocated data. The connection throughput can still decrease for Standard users in certain conditions because Starlink prioritizes Priority Service Plans. Still, if the network capacity is not exhausted, Standard users continue to enjoy high connection speeds as long as SpaceX doesn't consider them abusive users.
The new terms of use specify that Starlink can take "network management measures" if users consistently exceed "what is allocated to a typical residential user." These measures may include temporarily reducing a customer's speed to limit congestion. SpaceX explains that people who often use bandwidth-intensive applications, such as streaming videos or downloading large files, will likely be impacted.
Under the new conditions, the Priority users are downgraded to the Standard plans once their Priority Data caps have been reached. This means that they will also not be throttled after reaching the cap. Still, they lose Priority Data benefits and must purchase additional data to avoid that. The same conditions apply to Mobile Priority service plans, with a significant difference.
Being bumped to the non-priority mobile plan will allow mobile use on land, including lakes and rivers. While in open water, users cannot connect to the internet once the priority data has been exhausted. They can only access their Starlink account, where they can purchase additional Mobile Priority data.
With this change, SpaceX has also updated the Starlink app with a redesigned account screen and the ability to manage subscriptions right from the app. The data usage meter has also been updated to reflect the changes. Another important feature is the ability to schedule powering down Starlink hardware overnight to minimize power consumption. This is important for off-grid users, as it can conserve energy at night. However, the internet connection will not work in sleep mode, and the antenna will not melt snow.
Less than a month later, SpaceX changed the pricing structure of its Maritime plans so that the average boat owner could afford to pay for Starlink internet access. The move brought lower prices for the Starlink hardware and data plans starting at $250 per month. Now, there's more good news from SpaceX, as the company changes its fair-use policy.
According to letters sent to its customers, those who opted for the Standard plans will not be throttled anymore after reaching the 1-TB data cap. Until now, the internet speed dropped to 1 Mbps after exhausting the allocated data. The connection throughput can still decrease for Standard users in certain conditions because Starlink prioritizes Priority Service Plans. Still, if the network capacity is not exhausted, Standard users continue to enjoy high connection speeds as long as SpaceX doesn't consider them abusive users.
The new terms of use specify that Starlink can take "network management measures" if users consistently exceed "what is allocated to a typical residential user." These measures may include temporarily reducing a customer's speed to limit congestion. SpaceX explains that people who often use bandwidth-intensive applications, such as streaming videos or downloading large files, will likely be impacted.
Under the new conditions, the Priority users are downgraded to the Standard plans once their Priority Data caps have been reached. This means that they will also not be throttled after reaching the cap. Still, they lose Priority Data benefits and must purchase additional data to avoid that. The same conditions apply to Mobile Priority service plans, with a significant difference.
Being bumped to the non-priority mobile plan will allow mobile use on land, including lakes and rivers. While in open water, users cannot connect to the internet once the priority data has been exhausted. They can only access their Starlink account, where they can purchase additional Mobile Priority data.
With this change, SpaceX has also updated the Starlink app with a redesigned account screen and the ability to manage subscriptions right from the app. The data usage meter has also been updated to reflect the changes. Another important feature is the ability to schedule powering down Starlink hardware overnight to minimize power consumption. This is important for off-grid users, as it can conserve energy at night. However, the internet connection will not work in sleep mode, and the antenna will not melt snow.
Starlink now offers unlimited data on "standard" service plans! The 1Mbps cap has been removed for "priority" plans, with unlimited standard access. Mobile services also have unlimited data, and Mobile Priority requires the purchase of additional data. The data usage meter has… pic.twitter.com/erFp1XRn9o
— Nathan Owens (@VirtuallyNathan) May 2, 2023
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