SpaceX Starlink New 50% Cheaper Internet Plan

Summary

The video discusses SpaceX's new cheaper Starlink internet plan being tested in New Zealand, offering 50% off the monthly price in exchange for slower speeds during peak hours. It analyzes whether this deprioritized plan could come to the US, given excess satellite capacity in some areas. The host also highlights how SpaceX is improving satellite design to increase payload per launch. Overall, the video explores if US customers could enjoy lower cost Starlink in the future, either through discounted pricing or buying refurbished hardware kits.

Takeaways

• 😊 SpaceX is testing a new 50% cheaper Starlink plan in New Zealand
• 🔆 The cheaper plan offers 50-100 Mbps speeds vs 150-250 Mbps for the standard plan
• 📉 Cheaper plan customers will be deprioritized during peak usage times
• 💰 Eligible customers can also get refurbished Starlink kits for 50% off in NZ
• ⚡️ NZ currently sees the fastest Starlink speeds globally, averaging 158-266 Mbps down
• 🇺🇸 No discounts yet offered in the US, but prices were lowered in some states last year
• 🛰️ SpaceX launched 24 satellites on one Falcon 9 rocket, the most ever carried
• 🚀 More mini satellites and Starship launches will increase speeds and capacity
• ❓ It's unclear if/when the discounted plan will expand beyond New Zealand
• 👍 Customers seem interested in cheaper service, even with slower speeds

Q & A

What is the new cheaper Starlink plan that was spotted in New Zealand?

SpaceX is offering a 50% discount on the monthly fee for Starlink internet service in New Zealand in exchange for slower speeds. The new plan costs NZ$79 per month compared to NZ$159 for the standard plan.

How do the speeds compare between the standard and cheaper Starlink plans in New Zealand?

The cheaper plan offers speeds between 50-100 Mbps download while the standard plan offers 150-250 Mbps. So the cheaper plan has slower speeds, especially during peak usage times.

Why is SpaceX offering discounted Starlink plans in New Zealand specifically?

New Zealand has very fast Starlink speeds averaging 158-266 Mbps down. So SpaceX likely has excess network capacity there allowing them to offer discounted plans to get more customers using the network.

Does the cheaper plan have any data caps or restrictions?

No, the cheaper Starlink plan has no data caps or speed restrictions. The only limitation is slower speeds due to being deprioritized during peak network usage times.

Can I pause service or enable portability on the cheaper Starlink plan?

No, the ability to pause service or use Starlink portably is not supported on the cheaper deprioritized plan.

Can I buy a discounted refurbished Starlink kit in New Zealand?

Yes, in addition to the cheaper plan, New Zealand customers can also buy a refurbished Starlink kit for half the price of a new one.

When will cheaper Starlink plans be offered in the US?

It's unclear if or when the cheaper deprioritized plans will be offered in the US. SpaceX typically tests new plans in foreign markets first before bringing them to the US market.

How does the Starlink dish in NZ differ from the latest US version?

The NZ Starlink kit includes the dish with motors allowing 360 degree movement. The newest US version has a stand instead of motors to reduce complexity and cost.

How many more satellites did SpaceX recently fit on a Falcon 9 launch?

SpaceX managed to fit 24 Starlink satellites on a recent Falcon 9 launch, up from the previous max of 22. This shows their ability to continually improve launch efficiency.

When is the next SpaceX Starship test launch scheduled?

The next Starship prototype launch is expected to occur in mid-March 2024 from Starbase in Texas.

Outlines

00:00

🚀 SpaceX Starlink's New Cheaper Plan

This segment introduces SpaceX Starlink's new, more affordable plan, specifically aimed at providing a cost-effective internet solution for rural populations who typically earn less than city dwellers. The narrator emphasizes the long-standing criticism of Starlink's high costs and discusses how this new plan, initially available only in New Zealand, could be a game-changer. SpaceX has historically tested different offerings in various markets before wider rollouts. The cheaper plan offers reduced speeds at a 50% discount, appealing to users in need of affordable options. The discussion includes an analysis of the plan's features and benefits, drawing on information from multiple sources, including a concise summary from PC Magazine. The importance of community feedback and interaction is highlighted, inviting viewers to share their thoughts on this development.

05:01

🌍 Global Testing and US Market Considerations

The second paragraph delves deeper into the specifics of the new Starlink plan, including the impressive speed tests conducted in New Zealand, showing speeds significantly higher than what users in the US typically experience. The narrator discusses the plan's potential impacts on users during peak hours due to its deprioritized nature and explores SpaceX's strategic reasons for offering such a plan in New Zealand due to its excess capacity. Additionally, comparisons are drawn between the internet speeds in New Zealand and the US, particularly noting the lower speeds observed in the southern states. The segment concludes with speculation on whether the deprioritized plan will be introduced in North America, based on SpaceX's historical pricing strategies and the introduction of new hardware in different markets.

10:03

🔍 Detailed Analysis of Deprioritized Service Plan

This part provides an in-depth analysis of SpaceX Starlink's deprioritized service plan, including its affordability, limitations, and potential benefits for users, especially in New Zealand. The narrator explains the plan's terms, such as no data or speed caps, and the possibility of slower speeds during peak hours due to deprioritization. The discussion also covers the option for users to purchase refurbished Starlink kits at a reduced price, noting the hardware differences between the US and New Zealand markets. Additionally, the segment touches on SpaceX's operational achievements and future plans, including the launch of new satellites and the anticipated launch of Starship, underscoring the company's ongoing efforts to improve and expand its internet service offerings.

15:08

🌐 Expansion and Future Prospects of Starlink

The final paragraph focuses on the broader implications of SpaceX Starlink's new offerings and its strategic maneuvers, such as increasing the number of satellites per launch to enhance network capacity and performance. The discussion includes speculation on the potential for similar deprioritized plans in the US, based on the company's testing and rollout patterns in other countries. The narrator invites viewers to consider whether they would opt for a deprioritized plan at a reduced cost, weighing the trade-offs between price and performance. The segment concludes with a call to action, encouraging viewers to engage in discussion, share the content, and explore additional resources offered by the narrator.

Keywords

💡Starlink

Starlink is SpaceX's satellite internet service. The video discusses a new, cheaper Starlink plan being tested in New Zealand. Starlink is integral to the video's theme about evaluating if this affordable option could work for viewers.

💡Speeds

Internet speeds are a key measure of performance. The new Starlink plan offers slower speeds of 50-100 Mbps down compared to 150-250 Mbps for standard plans. This relates to assessing if slower speeds are still usable.

💡Congestion

Network congestion happens when many users access the internet simultaneously, slowing speeds. The cheaper Starlink plan will be deprioritized during congestion, meaning it will slow more than the standard plan.

💡Deprioritized

The new cheaper Starlink plan is called the deprioritized plan. This means speeds will be slower than the standard plan during network congestion or peak usage times.

💡Peak hours

Peak hours refer to times of heavy internet usage that can cause congestion. The deprioritized Starlink plan will have slower speeds during peak hours compared to the standard plan.

💡Excess capacity

Areas with excess network capacity have fewer users, less congestion and can offer cheaper plans. New Zealand has excess Starlink capacity allowing this discounted plan.

💡Hardware

The Starlink hardware equipment needed for internet service. New Zealand offers discounts on new and refurbished hardware kits along with the cheaper service.

💡Latency

Latency measures the delay in internet data transfers. The video says Starlink latency should improve as more satellites are launched, benefiting all plans.

💡Starship

SpaceX's next-generation rocket that will launch more advanced Starlink satellites to greatly improve performance.

💡Version 2 mini

The latest, smaller Starlink satellite model allowing more to launch at once, improving capacity.

Highlights

SpaceX is offering a 50% discount on monthly payments for Starlink in New Zealand in exchange for slower speeds

The cheaper Starlink plan has no data or speed caps but users can expect 50-100 Mbps downloads vs. 150-250 Mbps for standard service

Standard service will be prioritized over deprioritized service during peak hours, meaning slower speeds for the cheaper plan

SpaceX may be offering the cheaper plan in New Zealand because it has excess capacity there, with speeds of 158-266 Mbps down

SpaceX is also offering refurbished Starlink kits in New Zealand for half the price of new kits

The refurbished hardware option allows people to get into Starlink very cheaply in New Zealand

It's unclear if SpaceX will bring the discounted deprioritized plan to North America, though it has offered regional discounts before

SpaceX launched a record 24 Starlink satellites on one Falcon 9 rocket, enabled by design improvements

More satellites per launch will speed up the Starlink network and increase capacity

Starship launches in 2024 could drastically improve speeds and latency for Starlink

Would US customers accept slower speeds for a discounted Starlink service option?

Would US customers be interested in buying refurbished Starlink hardware if offered?

Overseas markets often test pricing and products before launches in the US

Regulatory approvals may be the biggest hurdle to rapidly expanding the Starlink network

This discounted plan expands access for rural users at lower cost

Transcripts

SpaceX starlink has a brand new cheaper

plan is this something that might be

right for you let's go check it

[Music]

out hey everybody welcome back to the

channel thank you so much once again

joining me for tea time today we have a

little bit of dark Temptation so good so

good I hope you're joining me with your

cup of tea maybe a cup of coffee hanging

out talking Tech talking photo talking

video today is a technology day we're

going to be talking about the brand new

SpaceX starlink

plan kind of interesting this is

something that we've been looking for

for many many months actually Years A

lot of people have said that SpaceX

starlink is just simply too expensive

for who it is directed to it's basically

for rule folks people that are in the

country that are not in the city and

usually we are not making as much as the

people in this City according to what

the government says so anyways we're

looking into a cheaper plan and is this

available now we know that SpaceX

starlink has done this once before we'll

talk about that in just a second but

this plan is going to be only for people

in New Zealand now starlink has done

this in the past they test out in

different markets and then they bring it

into other markets I was reading about

this on four or five different Rags

different magazines online magazines and

I found that the PC Magazine version was

really short and condensed so I want to

read some of that to you and then give

you my commentary as I always do and

then after Down Below in the comment

area I want to hear from you what do you

think about this before we get into it I

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this I put together about

245 I think almost 250 videos just on

SpaceX starling helpful how- toos tips

tricks what to buy what not to buy why

and everything in between this channel

is always about the why not just the how

but the why I think that's very

important anyways now that all the

housekeeping is done let's get into this

article it starts out by saying want

starlink at a lower price yeah we do in

New Zealand SpaceX is offering customers

a 50% discount on the monthly payment

for the satellite internet system in

exchange for slower speeds this is very

important keep that in mind slow lower

speeds I'll get into that in just a

second a user on Reddit spotted SpaceX

offering the new deprioritized plan for

residential customers in the country

deprioritized is important I'll get into

that in just a second the option appears

when you sign up for service on starlink

decom now bear in mind star link.com in

New Zealand is going to be different

than star link.com here in the US so if

you check now and you're located in the

US you're not going to see it now you

could always use like what I do

a VPN I'm using pure VPN as well as

speedify you can go and take a look at

my matter of fact I have a discount I

always forget to tell you guys about it

if you go to J christina.

cvpn or J christina. comom slpe you're

going to get 15 20% off either one of

those VPN services that I currently use

anyways if you use a VPN you could set

your server for New Zealand and then

when you log into star link.com it's is

going to think that you're located in

New Zealand and it'll give you this

information just so you know little

backend way to check this out users can

pay New Zealand money of

$159 or converted to US $97 for this

standard plan or $48 or New Zealand

money

$79 for the

deprioritized access so basically what

they're saying here is it's half price

so instead of $100 you're going to be

paying $50 that's us money the cheaper

plan has no data or speed caps but users

can expect quote 50 to 100 megabits

download speeds in comparison to 150 to

250 megabits download speeds for the

standard service plan now bear in mind

those speeds are New Zealand speeds okay

those are based on what the folks in New

Zealand are seeing as far as speeds we

do not get that here in the US or not

the majority of us do I've been seeing

some really quick speeds lately and I

showed you in my last video matter of

fact I did a speed test this morning and

I was getting around 200 megabits down

and about 17 megabits up which isn't

really bad I would like to see the up

speed come up pardon the pun but what

are we going to do hopefully it does we

need to see that 20 megabits up or

higher so the FCC says hey yeah you are

Broadband anyways that's for a whole

another video SpaceX says standard

service will be prioritized over

deprioritized service during peak hours

remember you're paying half price so

you're going to be

deprioritized over the priority people

that are paying more this means that

speeds will be slower for deprioritized

service relative to the standard

starlink service especially when there's

more users on the network makes sense

the company might be offering the plan

because it has plenty of capacity in New

Zealand according to Star link.com the

country has the fastest download speeds

averaging between 158 megabits down to

266 megabits down that is an amazing

amazing speed variation 150 to like

270 that's awesome in comparison to the

download speeds in the US are generally

lower spanning from 38 megabits to 104

megabits down particularly in the

southern states now I'm in the southern

States I never saw these numbers before

38 megabits down 104 megabits down yeah

maybe 100 megabits down when it was at

its slowest point but

38 you know take everything that you

read with the grain of salt and what you

hear SpaceX didn't immediately respond

to a request for comment making it

unclear if it will be bringing the

deprioritized plan to North America in

general SpaceX has refrained from

offering discounts on starlink within

the us although last year it did

decrease the subscription fee for us

customers living in quote areas with

excess capacity I did a whole video on

that there's certain States where

there's not a lot of people using SpaceX

Starling that their fee went from $110

down to like $90 where everyone else's

fee popped up to $120 per month once

again it's based on how many people are

using it in the area if those satellites

are dormant they're not doing anything

you might as well charge less and at

least get a couple of bucks for them

flying by right it just simply makes

sense the article finalizes with this

instead the company has often been

spotted offering deals on satellite

internet service in other markets such

as Europe and Latin America which

appears to have less demand in New

Zealand SpaceX is offering customers the

option of buying refurbished Starling

kits for half price of the original cost

so this is important too not only are

you able to get half price on your

service but you can also get half price

on your kit now the caveat here is the

kit that you can buy in New Zealand is

not the same kits that are available

here in the US in the US they have the

version 4 available that just has that

kickstand it doesn't have that fully

actuated dish where it can spin around

360 and it has the motors in it in New

Zealand they can only get the version

two or the version that has the motors

built in so they can buy the brand new

kit which would be $400 New Zealand

which would be the equivalent of like

243 bucks us or half price to the 400

which would be 2001 199 New Zealand

which would be $121 us one is

refurbished one is brand new it's up to

you I like the half price option and the

reason being is SpaceX Starling stands

behind all of their Hardware so it

doesn't matter if you have a refurbished

version or if you have a brand new

version if there's a problem they're

going to stand behind it they're going

to send you a new one that's the way it

has always been I've never heard from

anyone after doing this for 28 months I

never heard from anyone that SpaceX

starlink wouldn't send them a either

refurbished kit or a brand new kit free

of charge if there was a problem with

the first one or there was a problem

with the one that they're currently

using so that's really good also you

have the half price not only on the kit

but you have half price now on the

service you can get standard service or

deprioritized service and that's

completely up to you so the standard

service would cost

$159 per month New Zealand money or

let's call it a 100 bucks $97 or half

price to that would be 48 bucks us or

$79 New Zealand money however you want

to look at it so half price if you don't

mind having deprioritized service now

once again the speeds in New Zealand are

off the chain literally bumping up to

close to 300 megabits down so even if

you get deprioritized service it's

probably not going to happen very often

because there is not that many people

using it in the country so it's probably

not a bad idea to not only get a

deprioritized service but also get the

refurbished kit and you can get into

SpaceX starlink extremely cheap let's

say 100 bucks us for your kit and then

$50 per month $47 something like that

per month this is in US money that is it

pet is cheap for what you're getting now

if you want the full-blown thing you can

get it if you want now in the US which

obviously we don't see in New Zealand we

now do have that version 4 dish that I

was talking to you about that does not

have the motors built in the actuators

to spin at 360 and til it automatically

automatically it doesn't have that it

basically is just a kickstand you pop it

out you sit it down that's it you move

it left and right and you call it a day

they don't have that in New Zealand and

when you will get it I don't know once

again they do a lot of the testing of

the new product here in the US and then

they send it overseas after testing it

it probably has to do with the

manufacturing plants are really close

here in the US to anyone and it doesn't

cost them a lot of money to switch out

hard Ware whereas if you're sending over

to New Zealand or Germany or anywhere in

Europe that can get to be expensive if

you're having problems now what exactly

is this deprioritized anyways now they

say exactly what it is on their website

this is what it says now this is once

again you can go over to their website

star link.com but make sure you're

logged in through a New Zealand server

and you'll be able to see this too it

says starlinks deprioritize service is a

more affordable service plan that is

designed for personal family and

household use at a fixed or landbased

location at a valid location or address

in New Zealand users will have an

unlimited amount of standard data each

month with no long-term contracts or

commitments similar to SpaceX starlink

standard service plan once again this is

the deprioritized plan the service plan

will be deprioritized over the standard

service during peak hours this means

that speeds may be slower for

deprioritized service related to

standard service when the network has

the most users online obviously when

there is any type of congestion

deprioritized users are going to get

deprioritized data it finalizes with a

couple of bullets there are no data caps

there are no speed caps speed should

range between 50 to 100 megabits in

comparison to 150 to 250 megabits de

down those speeds are going to be a lot

faster than our speeds here in the US

you may upgrade to the standard starlink

service at any time Mobility or in

motion or Marine on the ocean use is not

allowed pause service feature is not

supported bear that in mind you cannot

pause your service if you're getting

this

deprioritized plan then again it's 47

bucks all right the ability to opt in to

purchase priority or mobile priority

data is also not supported obviously

because this isn't a mobile device it is

a fixed device for a business or a

family home a residence with a

non-moving address basically also when I

was looking this up I checked to see if

there was any other locations that had

this discount going on and I found that

Germany right now has a 50% discount on

SpaceX starlink now that is the kits

they they don't have that D prioritized

as of yet that I was able to find and I

logged in through de or the German

server just to check it out I didn't see

any of that maybe that's coming soon

maybe they're just testing it currently

in New Zealand because there's no one

using it in New Zealand there's a ton of

excess capacity as SpaceX starlink calls

it there was one other thing that I

found when I was reading through this

and it just happened yesterday I think

or the day before SpaceX starlink was

able to launch 24 starlink satellites in

the cone or in the top fairing of a

falcon 9 for the first time normally

it's 20 21 22 they were able to launch

24 just the other day that is a big deal

and that's because they are reshaping

things and making things larger and

making other things smaller matter of

fact I found Elon mus saying on X he

said this quote due to continued design

improvements this falcon 9 carried its

highest ever payload of

17.5 tons of useful load to a useful

orbit very interesting once again they

went from 2021 let's say SpaceX starlink

satellites the version 2 minis in that

fairing up to

24 that once again is a big deal you're

looking at three maybe even four extra

that are going in per launch and that is

something that we need to keep in mind

here

everything is going to get better it's

going to get faster the latency is going

to get also quicker as they introduce

more and more these version 2 mini

satellites into orbit and once SpaceX

Starship actually launches and doesn't

blow up and is able to get the fullsize

version twos maybe they'll call them

version 3es by then into orbit things

are going to get 4X faster 4X the

capacity the speeds are going to get

better the latency is going to become

less this is awesome this is really big

now I also heard that in March mid-march

we're going to see the next Starship

launch this is exciting news and I also

heard there's going to be up to nine

Starships just launching in

2024 so I don't know if this Cadence is

going to be able to hold true to that

number but that's going to be almost one

Starship per month throughout the rest

of 2024 can they do it I don't know I

don't think that it's going to be an

issue if SpaceX starlink can do it or

SpaceX can do it I think it's going to

be an issue if the FCC the FAA the

wildlife and all the rest of these

people will give the clearance to Elon

musk's Space X will they will they not

that is going to be the bottom line so

the question is will customers in the US

be able to enjoy this lower cost space

starlink the

deprioritized version of it will that be

a possibility in the not so distant

future I really don't know once again

they always test in other regions other

countries and then they bring it into

the US when it comes to pricing but when

it comes to Hardware like I said before

they test in the US and then they send

overseas so I'm going to guess overseas

being New Zealand as well as Germany all

of Europe will probably see the version

4 dish in the Noto distant future now

that we see them here in the US that is

once again the nonarticulating or the

non-actuated version without Motors the

one with the kickstand that we talked

about I did a whole video maybe I'll put

a link my question to you is if you had

the option of getting a deprioritized

service for half the price would you

knowing what the speeds are here in the

US knowing what speeds you're currently

getting would you be able to handle

let's say half price maybe at half speed

obviously we don't know it's always

based on congestion will you be one of

those people would you pay half price to

get let's say half the service also

would you be interested in picking up a

refurbished SpaceX starlink unit

especially the fully articulated one the

ones that they're seeing over there in

New Zealand I know a lot of people have

been asking me about that where can I

get the motored version I don't want to

go up on the roof to change it if I ever

need to I just want to stick it up there

and let it do its thing and I get you I

feel you because mine is Up on the Roof

also I don't want to go up there I have

obviously the motored version because

mine is 28 months old but it's still

working anyways Down Below in the

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