SpaceX’s Starlink is introducing a family plan that initially will be available on an invitation-only basis.
The Starlink family plan, which was reported by PCMag, enables customers to add additional subscribers with discounts for both the Starlink Kit and service plans. Those who become Starlink customers through the offer can manage the shared account if they are added as additional users. Billing will be joint.
A page on the Starlink website says there is a limit of two subscriptions on each Starlink family plan account. If a full-price plan is cancelled, the discount is removed from the family plan. The service plan of a discounted subscription cannot be changed for six months.
Starlink — which uses low earth orbit (LEO) technology — has taken steps recently to increase its penetration (beyond the Starlink family plan). Last month, the Starlink Mini satellite was made available through the United States. It was originally introduced in June, but was only available to a small group.
The Starlink Mini is is compact enough to fit in a backpack and is designered to provide speeds from 5 Mbps to 50 Mbps. It can be set up in as little as two minutes. It device is available for $499 and is priced at $150 per month with unlimited data.
The company also is looking to expand its market in the commercial sector. Late last month, two tweets – one from Vice President of Engineering Michael Nicholls and a retweet from CEO Elon Musk—said that the company had transmitted data at 8.1 Gbps download and 2.8 Gbps upload as measured by Ookla Speedtest. The test was done “with no land in sight” and is seen as potential offering for aeronautical and shipboard uses.
