SpaceX announces new plan "Starlink Premium" of about 57,000 yen per month

SpaceX announced that it will add a higher-level plan "Starlink Premium" to the satellite Internet service "Starlink".

According to the Starlink website, Starlink Premium has a downlink speed of 150 to 500 Mbps and a delay of 20 to 40 ms, and the system is built to withstand harsh weather conditions. However, the monthly fee is 500 dollars (about 57,000 yen), which is much higher than the monthly fee of 99 dollars (about 11,000 yen) of Starlink's basic plan.

According to the Starlink website, the Premium plan will be available in the second quarter of 2022 and can be booked now.

SpaceX launched Starlink worldwide in 2020, and has shipped 100,000 handsets to customers around the world, according to CEO Elon Musk. Positioned as a high-speed broadband Internet service, Starlink uses a network of interconnected satellites launched into low earth orbit by SpaceX rockets.

Musk said in a speech at Mobile World Congress in June 2021 that he would aim to exceed 500,000 Starlink subscribers by the end of the year. One of his goals is to make it easier for people living in depopulated areas around the world and areas that are difficult to access with ground equipment to connect to the Internet.

The main features of Starlink Premium announced this time are priority customer service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, performance improvement in the event of a failure, and unlimited data provision. SpaceX says the service is the first choice for businesses and "high-demand users." To use the plan, you need to purchase a $ 500 deposit and a $ 2,500 kit that includes a satellite antenna, Wi-Fi router, base, and cable. Please note that Starlink will be offered in the order of application.

This article was edited by Asahi Interactive for Japan from an article from overseas Red Ventures.