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Any idea on pricing? I wonder how many people would switch over if it was priced ~$10 higher than a Comcast plan, just to avoid having to deal with Comcast. I

Any idea on pricing? I wonder how many people would switch over if it was priced ~$10 higher than a Comcast plan, just to avoid having to deal with Comcast. I hope this ubiquitous competition will force prices for wired Internet down and customer service quality up. And if it is able to scale, this will be a VERY attractive offer in underdeveloped countries like Germany. (Germany may be a first world country, but the Internet access options sure don't feel that way.) Will Starlink offer mobile solutions? I could see this being a game changer for Internet on ships or for temporary use in extremely remote locations where a sat phone at eye-watering prices were the only options right now.

zamadatix 6y ago
$499 to get the equipment and $99/m for service. Right now service is locked to the cell you purchase in. The intent is to allow mobility eventually.
- thrwn_frthr_awy 6y ago
  Keep in mind the $99 is the price for the beta. I’m not sure if they’ve confirmed the non-beta price.
- reustle 6y ago
  It feels weird that I pay some small SaaS products more than this. You'd think slinging a few hundred satellites into space would be a more difficult / expensive endeavor.
  - boardwaalk 6y ago
    SpaceX is way in the red on this right now. But I'm sure they've done the math on how much profit they can extract from the constellation in the long term.
    - swarnie_ 6y ago
      Yep - Profit and loss are pretty much meaningless while investors are still willingly to fling cash at them faster then they can spend it.
  - shaklee3 6y ago
    It is. The antennas are heavily subsidized to get that $500 price point.
    - nickik 6y ago
      We don't actually know that. There was one unknown source who once said it was some number X but the reliability of that claim is highly questionable.
      - shaklee3 6y ago
        We do know that. We know how much phased array costs, and many experts in that area have said so. Shotwell and musk both have said getting the terminal cost down is their biggest challenge. They wouldn't say that if it was $500.
        rlt 6y ago
        Correction: We know how much phased array antennas produced by other companies have historically sold for. They’re not commodities with uniform costs.
        shaklee3 6y ago
        No, they are commodity and we know how much they cost. SpaceX hasn't magically solved somehow decreasing the price of components they don't even make. They are paying over $1000 for a terminal.
        rlt 6y ago
        Cool, can you link me to the BOM cost analysis you’re referring to?
        shaklee3 6y ago
        Sure! You mean every phased array that's ever been built? I suppose you have the BOM for the starlink terminal that spacex themselves have said is too expensive? I guess the fact that musk is behind it means the cost is magic and you can discount all prior technology, right?
walrus01 6y ago
It is not intended as a competitor for Comcast. A well built, engineered and maintained DOCSIS3 system with channel bonding can easily support 600Mbps+ down per user (not all at once simultaneously, the standard metrics of oversubscription apply), and 20-25 Mbps up. Starlink is intended for more fringe or impossible to reach areas.
- pugworthy 6y ago
  It's weird but I've watched and cheered on almost every SpaceX launch since the Falcon 1 days, including Starlink launches. Starlink isn't the pinnacle of all that work, but I almost want to buy it just to celebrate it. And though not a competitor to Comcast for the reasons you point out, I'm probably not the only person who's very happy to finally have a decent alternative showing up. Just a shame it didn't come in at half the monthly cost. Part of me wonders if the price is artificially high in order to reduce the initial rush. You know if they were to offer high speed Starlink for half the typical land-based internet, there would be so many orders it would be pretty problematic.
  - ncallaway 6y ago
    I'm definitely in some of these same boats. I currently have Comcast, but I really despise them. Starlink will be a small step up in price, and a small step down in speed for me, but I'm going to do it just to be away from Comcast.
- mrtnmcc 6y ago
  Starlink today slightly beats my Comcast performance-- both up and down. Starlink costs a bit more, but the service, bandwidth, latency is getting better every week--I'd rather be hitched to a modern company that knows how to improve.
- gwillen 6y ago
  > well built, engineered and maintained Fortunately for Starlink, there's not much worry about Comcast having any of those things.

zamadatix 6y ago

$499 to get the equipment and $99/m for service. Right now service is locked to the cell you purchase in. The intent is to allow mobility eventually.

thrwn_frthr_awy 6y ago
Keep in mind the $99 is the price for the beta. I’m not sure if they’ve confirmed the non-beta price.
reustle 6y ago
It feels weird that I pay some small SaaS products more than this. You'd think slinging a few hundred satellites into space would be a more difficult / expensive endeavor.
- boardwaalk 6y ago
  SpaceX is way in the red on this right now. But I'm sure they've done the math on how much profit they can extract from the constellation in the long term.
  - swarnie_ 6y ago
    Yep - Profit and loss are pretty much meaningless while investors are still willingly to fling cash at them faster then they can spend it.
- shaklee3 6y ago
  It is. The antennas are heavily subsidized to get that $500 price point.
  - nickik 6y ago
    We don't actually know that. There was one unknown source who once said it was some number X but the reliability of that claim is highly questionable.
    - shaklee3 6y ago
      We do know that. We know how much phased array costs, and many experts in that area have said so. Shotwell and musk both have said getting the terminal cost down is their biggest challenge. They wouldn't say that if it was $500.
      - rlt 6y ago
        Correction: We know how much phased array antennas produced by other companies have historically sold for. They’re not commodities with uniform costs.
        shaklee3 6y ago
        No, they are commodity and we know how much they cost. SpaceX hasn't magically solved somehow decreasing the price of components they don't even make. They are paying over $1000 for a terminal.
        rlt 6y ago
        Cool, can you link me to the BOM cost analysis you’re referring to?
        shaklee3 6y ago
        Sure! You mean every phased array that's ever been built? I suppose you have the BOM for the starlink terminal that spacex themselves have said is too expensive? I guess the fact that musk is behind it means the cost is magic and you can discount all prior technology, right?

walrus01 6y ago

It is not intended as a competitor for Comcast. A well built, engineered and maintained DOCSIS3 system with channel bonding can easily support 600Mbps+ down per user (not all at once simultaneously, the standard metrics of oversubscription apply), and 20-25 Mbps up. Starlink is intended for more fringe or impossible to reach areas.

pugworthy 6y ago
It's weird but I've watched and cheered on almost every SpaceX launch since the Falcon 1 days, including Starlink launches. Starlink isn't the pinnacle of all that work, but I almost want to buy it just to celebrate it. And though not a competitor to Comcast for the reasons you point out, I'm probably not the only person who's very happy to finally have a decent alternative showing up. Just a shame it didn't come in at half the monthly cost. Part of me wonders if the price is artificially high in order to reduce the initial rush. You know if they were to offer high speed Starlink for half the typical land-based internet, there would be so many orders it would be pretty problematic.
- ncallaway 6y ago
  I'm definitely in some of these same boats. I currently have Comcast, but I really despise them. Starlink will be a small step up in price, and a small step down in speed for me, but I'm going to do it just to be away from Comcast.
mrtnmcc 6y ago
Starlink today slightly beats my Comcast performance-- both up and down. Starlink costs a bit more, but the service, bandwidth, latency is getting better every week--I'd rather be hitched to a modern company that knows how to improve.
gwillen 6y ago
> well built, engineered and maintained Fortunately for Starlink, there's not much worry about Comcast having any of those things.