Starlink offers Unlimited Satellite Internet, SpaceX Scraps Speed Throttling

SpaceX has abandoned plans to throttle the speed of its Starlink satellite Internet for users in the US with high-speed data caps. The company had threatened to introduce high-speed caps since December 2020 for violating its Fair Use data policy. Starlink Internet Fair Use Policy has been revised to reflect a milder warning, and the speed limit has been removed entirely.

Previously, SpaceX had revoked the unlimited data policy of Starlink and intended to implement a 1 TB standard access allotment. Heavy users would have been required to pay 25 cents per GB to be brought back to full-service speeds. Now, Starlink has included unlimited standard data in its residential tier, and the 1TB, 2TB, or 6TB of priority access data is reserved for the business tier.

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Although there is no mention of speed caps, the Fair Use Policy still warns heavy users that if bandwidth patterns consistently exceed what is allocated to a typical residential user, network management measures may be taken, such as temporarily reducing a customer’s speeds to prevent or mitigate congestion of the services. Standard Service Plan customers with high bandwidth needs should consider upgrading to a Priority Service Plan.

It remains to be seen how this change of heart works in practice. However, SpaceX recently increased Starlink Internet speeds to the Best Effort tier. This indicates that the newly launched satellites the company launched into orbit may have a positive effect on Starlink’s capacity.

Source: Starlink