SpaceX’s Starlink is introducing quarterly “dynamic pricing” for its Residential plans in select areas, which can lead to price increases or decreases depending on supply and demand for the satellite internet service.
As PCMag reports, affected users reported receiving an email from SpaceX about the price change, which appears to be affecting areas in the Midwest, including Kansas and Missouri. “Starlink prices [are] dynamically based on supply of capacity and demand from customers,” it says. “As our constellation grows and network capacity changes, service pricing may change from time to time.”
The email says SpaceX is adding more Starlink capacity through new V3 satellites, but that the number of subscribers continues to “grow both locally and worldwide.” The message adds, “Given this rapid pace of change, we will be reviewing prices on a regular basis, roughly quarterly, and you may see more frequent changes than we’ve made historically or compared to other providers. But these won’t just be increases: as we expand capacity, service pricing in your area may be lowered.”
The Missouri-based Reddit user who received the email said their Residential 100 Mbps plan is increasing from $50 per month to $60.50, effective in their next billing cycle on or after Nov. 30. Another user on Facebook, also in Missouri, reported their Residential Max plan increasing to $156 per month, up from $130.
Dynamic pricing is already appearing on Starlink.com. In Rolla, Missouri, signing up for Starlink’s Residential plan defaults to the Max plan at $156 per month. In Warsaw, Missouri, it’s $143 per month, a 10% increase. In other areas, users may see a 10% or 20% price decrease. In Kansas City, Missouri, all the Residential plans are cheaper: $49.50 for 100 Mbps, $76.50 for 200 Mbps, and $117 for Residential Max. In Marysville, Kansas, prices are even lower at $44, $68, and $104 per month, respectively.
The computer code on Starlink’s website also suggests the pricing differences are currently limited to a max 20% increase and 20% decrease. Tim Belfall, a director at Starlink installer Westend WiFi, reports that the pricing decreases have been popping up in the UK, too.
SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. But the dynamic pricing policy means subscribers could see price changes more frequently, depending on how SpaceX measures supply and demand. A Reddit user told PCMag: “What’s interesting about this is [that] others are getting charged more, and others are getting reduced. It feels like some are getting hit harder to pay for the price reduction of others.”
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