SpaceX has added a new Residential Lite Starlink service plan in select markets. The new plan offers unlimited internet access with reduced speeds, targeting users who seek a cost-effective alternative to the full Residential package.
According to the Starlink website, the Residential Lite plan offers users an unlimited amount of deprioritized data each month. This means the service gets lower priority compared to the full Residential plan during peak hours, translating into slower data speeds, ranging from 50 to 100 Mbps, compared to the 150 to 250 Mbps offered by the standard Residential service.
There are some other restrictions or limitations with the Residential Lite plan, like being strictly for fixed locations. Additionally, there is no option to pause your monthly service, and no option to purchase Priority or Mobile Priority Data.
You can however upgrade to the full Residential service at any time.
Currently, the Residential Lite plan is available only in specific regions, including New Zealand, Italy, Spain, Colombia, and several others across South America, Africa, and the Pacific islands. This rollout indicates that Starlink is aiming to bring affordable, high-speed internet to areas where traditional internet infrastructure is either limited or expensive.
For example, in markets like Zimbabwe, where Starlink just launched this month, local provider Econet’s lowest-priced package offers 5 Mbps with a soft data cap for $45 per month. Starlink’s Lite plan, on the other hand, offers up to 100 Mbps with truly unlimited data for just $30 a month.
Starlink adopts very quickly to the market and has added the Residential Lite service pic.twitter.com/yf07uEsMm8
— willard shoko (@WillarShoko) September 11, 2024
