Starlink Portability is Official! But the Cost?
UPDATE: AS OF FEBRUARY 2023, PORTABILITY HAS BEEN REMOVED AS AN OPTION!!
Check out our Starlink for RVs Ultimate Guide for more major updates.
Starlink Portability Alert!
Starlink has begun to send out emails to current users and new users signing up alike. In these emails, they are stating that they are now OFFICIALLY offering a “Portability” feature for an additional $25/mo! Is this a bad thing? Are they just squeezing us for every penny they can get?! Get the details below.
What is “Portability”?
Portability is what many of us current users of Starlink refer to as “Roaming”. It is basically the ability to roam out of your “cell”, which is the stated service address on your account. A couple months or so ago, Starlink started to enable roaming under the radar and reports started coming out from users of their service working outside their cell without having to update their address every time they move. This has been free up until now.
Costs Rising
Well, for the first year or so, they kept the charges under $100. The price of regular service went up by $11 last month to $110 due to inflation, as Starlink stated.
The “Portability” add-on now brings the total to $135/mo for recurring service. Is this getting too expensive?
We don’t think so, as it still provides amazing internet in most places in North America and a great alternative to other satellite internet options with way higher speeds, lower latency and much lower costs. It also blows away cellular speeds almost every time you have a clear (ish) view of the northern sky.
Where Can I Roam Now With Portability?
Ok, so you’re charging me more for this new add-on that has been free for the first couple months. What does this mean for me?
Well, the hope now is that they guarantee service for Portability subscribers where as before in their TOS, service was not guaranteed when roaming out of your cell.
The other good to come out of this is that they acknowledge that Portability means that you can use it “anywhere where Starlink provides active coverage within the same continent.”!!! This is clearly stating that we can officially use it in Canada and Mexico, as many of us have been waiting and hoping for!
Elon’s Tweet
So, on May 3, Elon tweeted this in reply to someone showing off their Starlink with their RV where they had no cell coverage and tagged Elon in it. Pretty cool that he replied to the user about it, but to me it isn’t coincidence that he acknowledged this and right after it we start to see reports of users getting these emails. Conspiracy theory much, me? Anyway, it seems this has been in the works and they knew it was coming and maybe this tweet from Elon was to acknowledge they know and see the market for RVing, and are acting on it.
In The End
Really, there’s not much we can do besides complain about the price increase. Most of us will grumble about it and begrudgingly pay for it, then forget about it next billing cycle! Some of us will say “hey, show me a better option for the price!”. Realistically, I don’t see them losing many customers over this. They are investing billions in R&D and equipment, and last reports they are still losing on every Dishy they sell, so it is inevitable they need to make up the costs somewhere. Then again, maybe Elon just needs a few extra bucks to pay for Twitter ;p.
