Starlink “Roam” Replaces Starlink “RV”
As of March 8, 2023, US-based “Starlink RV” account types have been replaced with “Starlink Roam“. This subtle account name change comes with a couple updates to cover their services more broadly. They now offer Starlink Roam “Regional”, which is basically the same as Starlink RV was. There is also now Starlink Roam “Global” for use anywhere (instead of use only on the continent of purchase).
Starlink Roam Pricing
The Starlink Roam Regional comes in at the recently hiked monthly price tag that Starlink RV was at of $150usd. This can be used anywhere on land within the continent that you purchased your service in.
The Global option comes in at $200usd. This can be used anywhere on land that Starlink has regulatory approval to work.
Switching from Residential to Roam
You can switch from Residential accounts to Roam accounts, but you currently cannot switch back.
This is the same as it was when RV was available. Users are reporting that they are only showing the $200 “Global” option when trying to switch, so hopefully that will get updated/fixed soon.
The equipment should be the same/usable between Residential and Roam accounts.
Starlink Roam for Land Use Only
One interesting thing that Starlink is being clear on now is that it is intended for land use only. Now that they explicitly state this in their wording on their site and order page, expect them to start geo-locking use on these plans to land only (may be fine close to shore also) at some point soon.
Starlink has put wording in their TOS about geofencing now. They state “Regional plans are geo-fenced to work on land within the same continent as the registered Shipping Address, while the Global plans work on land anywhere there is active service coverage.” Time will tell if this is being enforced.
For boaters, this will likely mean there will be more Maritime specific plan options at higher rates (probably much higher) than many have been taking advantage of on the RV or Residential w/Portability account types.
There are already some 3rd party authorized resellers with some options out there, but expect to see more directly from Starlink.
Starlink Terms of Service
As always, Starlink service and policies are evolving so quickly that their TOS don’t get updated quickly enough to keep up with these changes. For a little while, you will probably see conflicting info on their site regarding these changes, depending on where you look.
Starlink RV accounts will likely turn into Starlink Roam accounts, but for now you will see both names being used in their wording.
Check back for updates as this big change plays out!
What are your thoughts on these service plan updates? Drop us a comment below!
