Starlink Cracking Down on Unauthorised International Resales Of Kits
Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service which is available to both businesses and private individuals in Australia is taking measures to crack down on the unauthorised resale of its satellite internet kits across international markets.
Starlink said that it will impose a new “outside region fee” for its satellite internet kits activated “outside of the region they were originally sold in.”
Starlink has six designated specific regions including the US and Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Oceania.
The company says “it is possible” the fee will be applied to activations outside of the region in which it was meant to operate. For the Standard and Standard Actuated kits, the fee is US$200, but for the Starlink Mini, it’s US$300 – though it warns that the fee “may be applied in USD or local currency,” which could make that penalty more expensive as it would be based on fluctuating currency exchange rates.
In Australia, Starlink offers three main plans for personal use. The Residential plan costs A$139 per month and is aimed at households, while the Roam plan supports portability and is available at prices between A$80-A$174 per month, while the Boats plan varies from A$374 to A$7,433 per month.
The Standard Starlink kit that supports household connections costs A$599, while the Mini kit that is made to be portable costs A$799 while the Flat High-Performance kit for Boats costs A$3,740.
Last year, Telstra partnered with Starlink to offer services to businesses in Australia, and extended that to residential services earlier this year too. Telstra’s satellite home internet plan is available for A$125 per month and A$599 upfront for the Starlink Standard kit. It includes unlimited data and an estimated typical peak speeds of 50Mbps download and 10Mbps upload.