(Credit: US Mobile)
UPDATE 4/9: US Mobile has revealed more details about its Starlink partnership, but discounts only last for six months before the Starlink Residential service reverts to its normal pricing.
Original Story:
Prepaid carrier US Mobile is preparing to offer Starlink home internet alongside its wireless plans as part of a new bundle.
US Mobile teased the partnership in a tweet, promising more details on Thursday. However, the prepaid carrier’s CEO, Ahmed Khattak, already spilled the beans in a Reddit post that says: “We're launching US Mobile + Starlink as a single bundle.”
In a bit of surprise, Khattak isn’t talking about the satellite-to-phone service, Starlink Mobile, which is already available on T-Mobile and is coming to Boost Mobile. Instead, the bundle includes the dish-based Starlink broadband service, which anyone can already buy on SpaceX’s website or from third-party retailers.
Khattak says he sees an opportunity to bundle Starlink with US Mobile’s wireless plans for an affordable price. “I won't tease numbers too hard, but imagine a plan for less than $50 a month that spans every major network in the United States, extends across Canada and Mexico, includes internet from space at home,” he wrote.
For perspective, SpaceX this year started offering its satellite internet service for $50/month for the Residential 100Mbps plan, $80 for Residential 200Mbps, and $120 for Residential Max, although new sign-ups can get a temporary discount. (In areas already full of users, you'll need to pay a demand surcharge and be confined to the Residential Max plan)
US Mobile operates as a mobile virtual network operator, meaning it essentially resells cellular services from the big three carriers, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Khattak says the Starlink bundle will be offered with US Mobile’s Unlimited Standard or Premium plans for all three major networks, meaning users only need to deal with one bill, one app, and “one company that actually picks up the phone.”
(Credit: Brian Westover/PCMag)Khattak added that the Starlink service will be offered without any data caps. According to his posts, Starlink Residential plans will be bundled with US Mobile first, while the Starlink Roam tiers will arrive in the coming weeks.
We’ll be curious to see the actual pricing and terms. Some users are already wondering if it’s better to ignore the bundle and buy directly from Starlink.com, which has become even more aggressive in offering discounts in the US. That said, the US Mobile-Starlink partnership underscores how SpaceX is using new ways to market its satellite internet service, including selling it in select Boost Mobile stores.
Khattak says US Mobile plans to also offer the satellite-to-phone Starlink Mobile service at some point. “Yes, and in the meantime, we will send you a [Starlink] Mini dish you can take everywhere,” he wrote to one user.
Khattak also used his Reddit post to address potential backlash to the Starlink partnership since SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has become a polarizing figure who's faced protests and boycott calls. Khattak says he respects that some consumers won’t buy certain products on principle.
Still, he added, “Our job is to build the best possible connectivity layer for our customers, and that means using every tool available to deliver something that genuinely works. The satellite network we're integrating with is, right now, the best LEO [low-Earth orbit] option on Earth. Refusing to integrate it would mean giving our customers a worse product to make a statement. That isn't a trade-off I'm willing to make on their behalf.”
These broadband-mobile bundles are becoming more popular. Earlier this week, T-Mobile's Mint Mobile prepaid brand announced a plan with 5G home broadband and phone service for $45/month, days after AT&T announced a similar OneConnect bundle.