What Is Starlink?
Run a Speed TestStarlink is a satellite internet service operated by SpaceX, the aerospace company founded by Elon Musk. Unlike traditional satellite internet that relied on a few satellites in very high geostationary orbit, Starlink uses a dense constellation of thousands of low-earth-orbit satellites to deliver broadband speeds with latency low enough for video calls, gaming, and real-time applications.
The Starlink Constellation
SpaceX began launching Starlink satellites in 2018 and started public beta service in late 2020. By 2025, the constellation had grown to approximately 6,000 operational satellites — the largest satellite constellation in history by a wide margin. SpaceX holds FCC and international regulatory approvals for up to 42,000 Starlink satellites total, though full deployment is a multi-decade undertaking.
Starlink satellites operate primarily in a shell at roughly 550 km altitude above Earth's surface. At that height, they travel at around 27,000 km/h, completing an orbit approximately every 90 minutes. Because they are so close to Earth, signals travel only a fraction of the distance required by geostationary satellites, which explains Starlink's 20–60 ms round-trip latency compared to 500–700 ms for older GEO services.
Many Starlink satellites are also equipped with laser inter-satellite links — optical laser beams that allow satellites to pass data directly to each other in orbit without needing to relay every packet through a ground station first. This reduces dependence on ground station availability and is what allows Starlink to provide service over remote ocean routes and polar regions far from any terrestrial gateway.
What Makes Starlink Different from Older Satellite Internet
The differences between Starlink and services like HughesNet or Viasat go beyond just orbit altitude:
- Latency — Starlink achieves 20–60 ms versus 500–700 ms for GEO services. This single factor changes which applications are usable on satellite internet entirely.
- No hard data cap on Residential — HughesNet imposes monthly data allowances of 15–100 GB depending on plan, after which speeds drop sharply. Viasat's allowances vary by plan but caps exist. Starlink Residential has no hard cap; instead, it uses traffic management during congestion.
- Speed trajectory — Starlink continues to improve as more satellites are added and software optimization matures. GEO services are limited by the number of satellites they can economically deploy.
- Global roaming — Starlink's Roam plan allows subscribers to use the service while traveling within the coverage area, including internationally in many countries. GEO services are generally tied to a fixed service address.
Starlink Plans
Starlink offers several service tiers designed for different users and use cases. All plans use the same satellite constellation but differ in data priority, pricing, portability, and speed guarantees.
Residential is Starlink's standard home internet plan, designed for a fixed address. It has no hard data cap, though traffic may be deprioritized during peak congestion on busy cells. Download speeds typically range from 50 to 200 Mbps, and the service supports multiple devices and common household use cases including streaming, video calls, and remote work.
Priority (formerly branded as Business) is aimed at power users and businesses that need guaranteed throughput and are willing to pay for it. Priority customers get a monthly allocation of high-priority data — typically 1–6 TB depending on the tier — and are the last to be deprioritized during network congestion. Speeds are generally higher on average than Residential because of the priority treatment.
Mobile / Roam allows subscribers to use the service anywhere within Starlink's coverage area, pausing and resuming the plan month to month. This plan is popular with RV travelers, van lifers, and people who split time between multiple locations. In-motion capability is available as an add-on for use while a vehicle is moving.
Maritime is designed for boats and ships, with hardware engineered to withstand the marine environment. Maritime plans offer higher data allowances than Residential but at significantly higher monthly costs suited to commercial vessel operations.
Hardware: The Starlink Kit
Every Starlink subscriber receives a hardware kit that includes a dish (called "Dishy" informally), a Wi-Fi router, and the necessary cables. The Gen 3 dish is a rectangular flat panel approximately 30 cm by 50 cm. It uses a phased-array antenna — an array of small antenna elements whose signals are combined electronically — to steer the beam across the sky without any motors or moving parts. The dish automatically tracks satellites as they move overhead and performs handoffs roughly every 15 seconds, all invisibly to the user.
The included router provides Wi-Fi 6 coverage and can be replaced with a third-party router using a Starlink-to-Ethernet adapter if you prefer more control over your network. The dish connects to the router via a proprietary cable; the router connects to your home network devices via Wi-Fi or Ethernet.
The hardware kit costs $599 at standard pricing. Discounted hardware pricing has been offered periodically, and the dish can be leased rather than purchased in some regions. There are no professional installation costs because Starlink is designed for self-installation.
How to Order and Check Coverage
Coverage availability varies by location because Starlink allocates capacity by geographic cell. To check whether service is available at your address, visit starlink.com and enter your address. If capacity is available, you can order immediately. If capacity is waitlisted in your area, you can join a waitlist and be notified when a slot opens.
After ordering, the kit arrives by mail within one to two weeks in most service areas. The Starlink app guides you through finding a mounting location with adequate sky visibility, walks through the physical installation, and displays live obstruction data once the dish is running — showing exactly which direction obstructions are coming from and how often they affect your signal.
Starlink Plan Comparison
| Plan | Typical Download Speed | Typical Latency | Monthly Price | Data Policy | Portability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Residential | 50–200 Mbps | 20–60 ms | ~$120 | No hard cap; deprioritized in congestion | Fixed address |
| Priority | 100–300 Mbps | 20–40 ms | ~$250–$500+ | 1–6 TB high-priority; then best effort | Fixed address |
| Mobile / Roam | 5–100 Mbps | 25–60 ms | ~$150–$200 | Best-effort; no hard cap | Anywhere in coverage zone |
| Maritime | 50–220 Mbps | 20–60 ms | ~$250–$1,000+ | High-priority data allocation | Global ocean coverage |
Is Starlink Right for You?
If you live in a rural or remote area with limited broadband options, Starlink is almost certainly the best satellite internet choice available and is competitive with DSL in speed and latency. If cable or fiber is available at your address, those services will typically offer lower latency, faster peak speeds, and lower monthly costs. But for the roughly 20–30 million US households that lack meaningful cable or fiber access, Starlink has genuinely transformed what is possible for rural broadband.