Inflation causes $20 monthly increase in Starlink satellite internet

LOS ANGELES, California: SpaceX has announced that it is increasing the price of its Starlink internet service for both the Starlink kit and its monthly internet service.

The increase in price, according to SpaceX, is due to inflation.

When Starlink opened preorders to the public in February, its Starter Kit required a deposit of $100. At a total price of $499, the kit includes access to Starlink, a Wi-Fi router, a power supply, cables, and a mounting tripod. The monthly internet service was priced at $99 per month.

The Starlink Starter Kit will now cost $599 and the monthly internet cost will rise to $110, as reported by The Verge.

While claiming that inflation was the “sole purpose” of the price hike, Starlink also noted its current improvements to its services.

“Since launching our public beta service in October 2020, the Starlink team has tripled the number of satellites in orbit, quadrupled the number of ground stations and made continuous improvements to our network. Going forward, users can expect Starlink to maintain its cadence of continuous network improvements, as well as new feature additions,” the company email said.

Through a system of low orbit satellites, Starlink is able to offer broadband internet to underserved areas.

According to a study from Ookla, SpaceX has launched over 2,000 satellites and saw its median download rate reach 104.97 Mbps for U.S. users.

Starlink currently has 250,000 subscribers throughout the world, according to the company.