SpaceX is finally adding roaming to Starlink, which will let customers tap into the satellite internet service across different locations.
The company announced the new “portability” feature in a Wednesday email to existing subscribers. “Portability enables customers to temporarily move their Starlink to new locations and receive high-speed internet anywhere...Starlink provides active coverage within the same continent,” the message reads.
The portability feature is perfect for customers who’d like to use Starlink at a camping site on a RV trip, for example, but the roaming option will cost an extra $25 per month.
“When you enable Portability, you are charged on your next monthly invoice. Portability is charged in full monthly increments and cannot be pro-rated,” the company said in a FAQ.
The $25 fee comes weeks after SpaceX announced a price hike for Starlink, which now costs $110 per month and a $599 one-time fee for the hardware. As a result, the additional cost is already receiving some mixed feedback from Starlink users.
“Starlink is getting too bloody expensive at this point,” wrote one user on Reddit.
“Does it really cost them 25% more to provide you service if you change cells? Obviously not. I'd wager it is probably more like a 1% increase,” wrote another.
SpaceX’s FAQ also says “Portable users are served best effort and can expect lower service levels than fixed users, particularly in areas marked as ‘Waitlist’ on the Availability Map.” On the flip side, this approach could reduce service congestion for registered Starlink users in a coverage area.
It’s also important to note the portability option doesn’t officially support using Starlink on a moving vehicle. “Using the Starlink Kit in motion will void the limited warranty of your Kit,” the company wrote in the FAQ. “While our teams are actively working to make it possible to use Starlink on moving vehicles (e.g., automobiles, RVs, boats), Starlink is not yet configured to be safely used in this way.”
Before Wednesday’s announcement, SpaceX restricted each customer’s Starlink service to the coverage area around their home address. But a year ago, CEO Elon Musk said the company was working to lift the geo-restrictions.