SpaceX's Starlink gets incredibly pricy Premium edition

SpaceX's satellite internet service, Starlink, has gotten a Premium tier.

Company CEO Elon Musk shared the news on Twitter on Wednesday. Called Starlink Premium, the new system has a bigger, better antenna with a bigger surface area and a broader scan angle. In practice, this means the system offers more bandwidth (150–500 Mbps download speeds) and a latency of 20–40ms, and should perform better in extreme weather conditions.

SpaceX says the Premium tier is ideal for "small offices, storefronts, and super users across the globe."

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Like before, the new service doesn't come with a long-term contract or a data cap.

The price has gone up considerably compared to the $499 basic Starlink package, however. The Starlink Premium kit consists of the antenna, WiFi router, and tripod, and costs $2,500. For comparison, the standard package offers download speeds between 100-200 Mbps, though minimum latency is the same at 20ms.

Additionally, while the monthly fee for the standard Starlink kit is $99 per month, the fee for the Premium package is $500 per month. Finally, the pre-order deposit is also pricier at $500, compared to $100 for the standard Starlink kit.

Starlink emerged out of beta in October 2021, but the company has a pretty big backlog of unfulfilled orders. The new, pricier system probably won't see that much demand, but it'll still be a wait before you can get one. You can order Starlink Premium now, but SpaceX says the first orders will be fulfilled "mid-2022."