(Credit: Starlink New Zealand)
UPDATE: SpaceX has started rolling out the new plans in the US, too. This includes reviving Residential 100Mbps after the company seemed to phase it out last month. On the downside, Residential 100Mbps now costs $50 per month up from $40.
Original story:
Satellite internet provider Starlink is rebranding its standard Residential service as Residential Max and adding a few new perks.
Residential Max is currently available in New Zealand, where Residential plans have been reorganized into three tiers: Residential Max, Residential 200Mbps, and Residential 100Mbps.
(Credit: Starlink.com)Residential 200Mbps replaces Residential Lite, according to a support document on Starlink.com. SpaceX didn't explain the changes, but the new names seem easier to understand. The standard Residential plan used to be the only option meant for home internet use. But in certain markets, including the US, the company has expanded the lineup with two other plans: a slower Residential Lite and the even more downgraded Residential 100Mbps.
New customers might have been confused with the different tiers since there was little distinction on internet quality. In contrast, the Max, 200Mbps, and 100Mbps plans clearly outline their performance levels.
(Credit: Starlink New Zealand)All plans include unlimited data. Like the standard Residential plan, Max will offer the highest speeds for home internet users at up to 400Mbps+. Plus, Max subscribers receive the bundled Gen 3 Wi-Fi router for their Starlink dish, as well as a "complimentary Router Mini to use as a mesh router, expanding coverage and improving in-home Wi-Fi performance," SpaceX says. (Currently, the company is selling the Router Mini as an accessory for $40.)
SpaceX will also give Max subscribers a Starlink Mini dish as a free rental. It will require a monthly Starlink Roam plan, but SpaceX is offering a 50% discount on those Roam plans, which let you access Starlink on the go and in more than one location, not just your home address. Last year, the company gave some existing subscribers the same deal, but it now looks like SpaceX is making it into an official feature for the Max plan.
Max users can downgrade to the slower Residential plans, but they will lose the Mini dish free rental and 50% off Roam plan perks. “You may also choose to keep the Mini by continuing service with a low monthly rental fee,” SpaceX adds. On the flip side, Residential 100Mbps and 200Mbps subscribers can upgrade to Max and receive the perks.
(Credit: Starlink.com)Despite the name change and added perks, Residential Max does not come with a price hike; SpaceX is offering the plan for $159 per month in New Zealand dollars. However, things might get a little messy with the other Residential plans. Before, Starlink was offering Residential Lite in New Zealand for $79 per month. Now it’s offering Residential 100Mbps for $79 and Residential 200Mbps (formerly Lite) for $119, amounting to a price increase.
One subscriber in New Zealand who’s on Residential Lite said they remain on the plan, despite the new changes. “I see Lite as my existing plan, with all of those [other plans] listed as available options. It's not clear if Lite would go away if I were to change,” they wrote on Reddit, “and it definitely seems like one to keep since it isn't throttled unless there's congestion.”
As a result, it looks like existing subscribers in New Zealand will be able to continue to use Residential Lite, at least for now. Although the change hasn’t rolled out to North America, it's a potential preview of how Starlink will sell its Residential plans in the future. In the US, Starlink.com has quietly swapped out the old language for the new Residential Max, 200Mbps, and 100Mbps tiers in its official service plan and spec documents.