(Credit: Jon Challicom via Getty Images)
SpaceX has thus far ignored a group of professional satellite dish technicians attempting to partner on Starlink installations for consumers and business.
The technicians this week officially launched the Starlink Installers Association, with the goal of establishing a working relationship with SpaceX. However, the association is running into SpaceX's own efforts to offer professional installs at a price technicians say is too low.
"We kind of expected more from [SpaceX CEO] Elon Musk, and we kind of feel he is not directly aware of how this situation is going down,” says "Geo Tech," owner of GeoCom Communications, who spearheaded the association’s creation.
Although Starlink dishes are easy to set up, third-party technicians have been installing them across North America for consumers and businesses who need them placed on a roof or the side of a building. These technicians are forming an association with the hopes of working with SpaceX on sourcing more official Starlink peripherals, such as roof mounts. According to Geo Tech, installers have encountered restrictions on how many mounts they can buy from the official Starlink site, likely to prevent reselling on eBay.
(Credit: Starlink Installers Association)The group's other aim is to establish an easy way for third-party technicians to call up SpaceX and resolve any problems with customer installs, since the company currently has no dedicated support line. “Everyone will benefit from this,” Geo Tech tells PCMag. ‘We are not asking for money. We just want tech support and hardware access.”
The association is made up of over 1,000 technicians. But SpaceX has thus far not engaged with any participants—possibly because SpaceX is piloting $199 "expert installs" for Starlink residential buyers in Ohio.
To offer the service, SpaceX is outsourcing the installations to a company called DSI Systems, which provides sales support for cellular carriers, ISPs, and satellite providers. The $199 fee is low enough that it could take business away from third-party satellite dish technicians, who can charge between $275 to $575 or more, depending on the work required.
“Guys are putting more than [$199] in their gas tank,” says Geo Tech, who questioned the quality of the Starlink installs from DSI. “That fee just isn’t keeping in line with the cost of living and average wages for workers.”
In a Facebook group, numerous third-party technicians also criticized that $199 fee. "This takes away skilled craft from our years of service. It devalues our work. This has to be stopped," one technician tells PCMag.
The same technicians are also worry about SpaceX expanding its expert installs business to other US states. On Tuesday, Starlink.com site teased installs for Georgia, also at $199.
(Credit: Starlink.com)Geo Tech adds: “We helped Starlink launch in a major way, I’ve had 15,000 to 20,000 calls over these past three years, and 95% of them were for an install.”
Still, the association isn’t looking to butt heads with SpaceX. “We would just like to see a better consumer experience that’s more suitable for everyone,” he says.
SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. In the meantime, the third-party technicians are accepting customer orders through Starlink Installations USA and the global directory found on starlink.internet-exchange.site.