(Credit: SpaceX)
SpaceX is finally offering a cheaper monthly plan for Starlink. This "residential lite" option is $80 per month, down from $120, but will feature slower speeds.
SpaceX describes residential lite as "an affordable option for smaller households" that don't need to use as much data. "Speeds should range from 50-100Mbps (as compared to 150-250Mbps for the Residential service plan)," the company added in a support document.
The residential lite plan also offers users "unlimited deprioritized data," meaning your connection is "given a lower network priority compared to other Starlink Fixed Service Plans," which can result in slower speeds during peak hours, SpaceX said in a policy document.
The residential lite program first appeared in foreign markets last year and promises to drive more growth for the satellite internet service, which reported reaching over 5 million users on Friday. The catch is that SpaceX is only offering the lite plan in about 15 US states, including Iowa, Maine, North Dakota, Minnesota, and New Mexico, where the company appears to have additional capacity for the Starlink network.
In other states, SpaceX has imposed congestion charges and waitlists for customers interested in the residential tier, which was previously the cheapest Starlink plan with unlimited data.
If you do live in an area that offers the residential lite plan, you might also receive a major price cut on the Starlink hardware. The company is offering a $200 “regional savings” discount on the standard Starlink dish for eligible areas, citing “abundant network availability.” This means you'll only need to pay $149 for the required dish—until March 31, at least.
(Credit: SpaceX)SpaceX adds that residential lite users can also upgrade to the normal residential plan at "any time." The company's FAQ didn't mention whether normal residential subscribers can switch to the lite plan. But one user on Reddit reported being able to downgrade to the lite plan.