Starlink enters the battle of low-cost internet offers, targeting budget fibre packages under the €30 mark

In a bold initiative, Starlink is presenting a new offer priced ten euros less than its standard package, shaking up the market with a competitive alternative to traditional fibre packages. Although attractive from a price point of view, this new offer does not fully match the broadband performance of satellite links. Here are the details.

At an unbeatable price, Starlink is now aligning itself with the most accessible fibre offers, offering a subscription for less than €30. This initiative, known as the "Deprioritized Offer", is making its debut in Europe, particularly in Spain and Italy, following a successful launch in New Zealand. Priced at 29 euros a month, it costs 11 euros less than the 'Standard Residential' package, which costs 40 euros a month. Both options are based on the same principle of purchasing or leasing the satellite equipment needed for the connection.

As part of the Deprioritized package, users can still hire the equipment on the same terms as the Standard package. To avoid the initial purchase of the equipment, estimated at 450 euros, users can opt to increase their subscription by 10 euros, including rental of the complete satellite device. Starlink prefers the purchase option to strengthen customer commitment, and is currently offering a promotion reducing the cost of the equipment by half, to 225 euros. Last year, an even more attractive offer set the price at €199.99.

What about specific features: limited throughput and equipment acquisition?

Starlink has identified an opportunity to expand its customer base with excess bandwidth capacity. The new low-cost package places its subscribers in second place during peak demand times, resulting in reduced throughput with no priority of service in the event of network congestion. Starlink promises speeds of between 50 and 100 Mbps, while the Residential Standard package offers speeds of between 150 and 250 Mbps. Another package, called 'Prioritized', costs 93 euros a month and guarantees privileged access to the highest speeds.

Over time, Starlink has reviewed its pricing strategy and diversified its range of offerings, now comprising five distinct packages, with variations linked to data volume, equipment purchase or rental. These range from domestic solutions to Enterprise packages, including Roam and Maritime formulas, with constantly improving coverage. By the end of March 2024, the satellite network will exceed 6,000 units, continuing its expansion towards a target of 42,000 satellites. Since the addition of 3,600 satellites last year, the Starlink constellation has become the most extensive, accounting for half of the satellites in low earth orbit.

An average speed of 108 Mbps in France

The question of the introduction of Starlink's €29 offer in France remains unresolved. In the UK, the debate is similar, as packages have not yet benefited from the price cuts seen in France (the Standard Residential package is now €60 cheaper there than it will be in 2022). Across the Channel, a subscription that includes the purchase of equipment costs £75 a month, or more than €87. "29, or even 40 euros, is very attractive. I don't understand why prices are higher in the UK. Are we considered to be a 'richer' nation?" asks a British reader on the site ThinkBroadBand.

In December 2023, four years after its launch, Starlink's Internet offering passed the 2.3 million subscriber mark. The SpaceX subsidiary, which is now in the process of launching a constellation of satellites dedicated to spying for the US intelligence services, is asserting its presence in 70 countries. In France, despite promises of speeds in excess of 150 Mbps, users are actually enjoying an average speed of 108 Mbps, according to DegroupTest analyses. While this result does not rival the performance of fibre optics, which fluctuate between 450 and 550 Mbps across France, it is nevertheless well above the average for ADSL packages, which fluctuate between 1 and 20 Mbps.

Starlink's strategy, aimed at democratising access to a quality Internet connection at competitive rates, reveals a clear ambition: to offer a viable alternative to traditional fibre networks, particularly for less densely populated areas or those that have been poorly served up to now. As deployment continues to expand and offerings diversify, Starlink's commitment to technological innovation and customer satisfaction seems undeniable.

The ambitious deployment and ongoing expansion of Starlink's satellite constellation also raises important environmental and space issues, particularly in terms of managing low-earth orbit traffic and reducing the risk of collisions. These challenges, alongside the expansion of coverage and services, form an integral part of discussions around the future development of satellite communications networks.

In conclusion, with the introduction of its 'Deprioritized' package at less than 30 euros, Starlink is not only competing with fibre offerings on price, but is also ushering in a new era of satellite connectivity accessible to a wider customer base. This could well redefine broadband Internet expectations and standards on a global scale, while underlining the importance of responsible innovation in the exploitation of near-Earth space.