After the FCC granted permission for Elon Musk’s SpaceX company’s Starlink satellite Internet service to be used by Earth Stations in Motion (ESIMs), or, in other words, on moving vehicles whether they are terrestrial or sailing at sea, SpaceX didn’t waste any time.
The FCC approved the use of ESIM as long as SpaceX is okay with potential interference from “current and future services,” but up until now, despite offering a Starlink RV option, SpaceX hasn’t been given permission to provide satellite Internet in moving vehicles. This is despite the fact that some of its customers use it in this way.
A Starlink Maritime option was created right away, but it came with eye-watering monthly costs of US$5,000 in addition to a one-time US$10,000 equipment investment for two Starlink terminals. At this price, it goes without saying that Starlink Maritime is more suited to serving “merchant vessels to oil rigs to premium yachts,” than your average lake cabin boat.
The most expensive SpaceX satellite Internet service so far has been Starlink Business, which costs US$500 per month and US$2,500 for the necessary hardware.
As a point of comparison, the normal Starlink, which just saw a pricing rise, costs just US$599 for a terminal once. Fortunately, Starlink Maritime “offers the ability to pause and un-pause service at any time and is billed in one-month increments,” allowing pay-as-you-go usage.
The same 350 Mbps download speeds that Starlink Business previously listed are now promised by Starlink Maritime. However, with the launch of the Maritime service, SpaceX modified the stated Starlink Business speeds and the option’s description now just states that “with more than double the antenna capability of Starlink, Starlink Business delivers faster internet speeds and higher throughput.” It appears to be saving the fastest guaranteed speeds for the nifty Starlink Maritime option right now.
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