(Credit: Olegda88 via Getty)
SpaceX is increasing prices for select US Starlink users, citing increased demand.
Last week, several Starlink users posted on social media about receiving emails from SpaceX notifying them about the price increase. Previously, the company had only charged these customers $90 per month since they lived in areas with "excess capacity."
Starting June 10, however, SpaceX will increase their monthly rate to $120 because they now live in an area of "limited capacity." The news is upsetting affected consumers, who will spend an additional $360 per year to keep their Starlink subscriptions.
(Credit: Reddit/r/Starlink)"$90 in a sparsely populated area in Michigan's upper peninsula, now going up to $120. I can't really believe the population in my area would support a lot of starlink users, but what can you do," wrote one user on Reddit.
Some have canceled their Starlink service in response. "I was on the $90 plan and got the email that it's going to $120. Lucky enough Xfinity just installed fiber in Westmore, VT so I canceled Starlink,” wrote another user on Reddit.
At the same time, others say SpaceX is offering the option to decrease their monthly fee from $120 to $90, though the company’s website seems to be rejecting user attempts to do that.
"Checked the app. Switched it. Saw it would swap over on my next billing date. Saw this thread just now. Checked the app again. No notification of the change. No $90 option available anymore," wrote one user.
SpaceX didn't immediately respond to a request for comment, so it's unclear how many consumers are affected or if the $90-per-month price is being phased out.
SpaceX implemented the $120/$90 price system for residential users of Starlink in the US a year ago. It looks like it has since refreshed its capacity map, likely after adding hundreds of thousands of new subscribers in the US and launching hundreds of new satellites. Recent promotions include a "$1 for 30 days” trial for those in the US.