SpaceX continues to free up more capacity for Starlink, giving interested consumers in a northern corner of the US a chance to sign up for the satellite internet service.
The additional capacity applies to anyone looking to try Starlink's residential tier (its most affordable) at $90 or $120 per month, plus a one-time $599 hardware fee. Until now, the company had placed the service tier behind a waitlist for many areas in the eastern US.
But over the weekend, SpaceX updated the official coverage map for Starlink’s residential tier to open capacity for users in states including Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and Illinois, along with Canada’s Toronto area.
The new capacity shows SpaceX is gradually chipping away at the capacity constraints for Starlink, which can deliver high-speed broadband to rural and remote areas. The company has been restricting new sign-ups for the residential tier to cut down on user congestion, which can slow down satellite internet speeds.
As a result, since last year, the company had placed large swathes of the US, including both the West and East Coasts, on a waitlist for access to the Starlink residential tier.
To free up the capacity, SpaceX has been launching dozens of additional Starlink satellites into Earth’s orbit in recent weeks, along with building additional ground stations across the US. The company now has over 4,200 satellites in space, up from nearly 3,000 a year ago, according to astronomer Jonathan McDowell.
The new capacity also means SpaceX can sell more Starlink units through not only the company’s official website, but via retail partners, including Best Buy and Home Depot. Users can also skip the waitlist by subscribing to the pricier Starlink Roam tier, which can operate from not just one address, but multiple locations.