Starlink Roam now 100GB for $50

[READY]

Very nice improvement. I presume it still will not work at sea. Just received the email tonight. 100GB for $50. It used to be 50GB for the same price.

• Bring Starlink with you on international trips for up to 60 days at a time in more than 150 countries, markets, and territories
• In-motion use is permitted—ideal for travel by boat, car, or RV
• We’ll notify you when you reach 80% and 100% of your monthly data
• 100GB is a week of average internet use, including streaming, video calls, and browsing. Learn more about data usage

 

[DDW]

It does say this about ocean use:

• Connectivity is supported in territorial waters and inland waterways, up to 12 nautical miles from the coast, for up to 5 consecutive days and up to 60 days per year.
• Coverage beyond 12 nautical miles or more than 60 days per year requires Ocean Mode, which is billed per GB and is only available with Roam Unlimited.

Like before, very ambiguous as to what exactly that means. Is use in a marina part of the 5 days or 60 days? Also, rather than stopping and requiring paying for more data, now it will continue in low speed mode. And you can't buy more data. They may have missed the target on my back - I might be pretty happy with the low speed mode always for $5/month.

 

[DDW]

I did also find this note:

• Note: Marinas, coast lines, and inland bodies of water are colored as black, however service is available for stationary use.

Colored blank means ocean plan, but apparently very near coastal and inland waterways are OK "for stationary use".

 

[Frosty]

Clear as mud!

 

[Bud]

It does say this about ocean use:

• Connectivity is supported in territorial waters and inland waterways, up to 12 nautical miles from the coast, for up to 5 consecutive days and up to 60 days per year.
• Coverage beyond 12 nautical miles or more than 60 days per year requires Ocean Mode, which is billed per GB and is only available with Roam Unlimited.

Like before, very ambiguous as to what exactly that means. Is use in a marina part of the 5 days or 60 days? Also, rather than stopping and requiring paying for more data, now it will continue in low speed mode. And you can't buy more data. They may have missed the target on my back - I might be pretty happy with the low speed mode always for $5/month.

I only had to switch to ocean mode once, when crossing from the Florida Keys to the Bahamas, halfway across. Once I got to the bahamas I was able to switch out of ocean mode back to roam. It worked on roam for the next month going from Cay to Cay.

Bud

 

[ofer]

it seems like we no longer have the option to get billed for the extra GBs at $1.00 pe GB. that means that we are automatically switched tp reduced speed after 100 GB with no other option other than to upgrade to the unlimited plan if we want to continue at high speed.

as that the way you understand it?

 

[READY]

Probably. I cannot help but giggle. A few years back we all would be jumping for joy to get a few GB of data via Sat. Now 100GB may "miss the mark".

On my coastal CA trip SF to San Diego last month zi had good coverage most of the way but it did drop the few times we were beyond 12-15 miles. It would be great if they gave you a few days per month or an option you get coverage without going full ocean.

Regardless it is still a fantastic service and reasonably priced given today there is no competitor. Maybe it will improve in 2026.

 

[Don L]

4 years ago in Bahamas I got a 100 Gb/mo plan from one of the Bahamas phone companies . It worked "ok" long as you were in not too remote an area and hoisted the mifi into to air get signal. That cost $100/mo, plus still had our US cell phones at$100/mo.

The next year had unlimited Starlink that work everywhere! It was $125/mo and we changed our cell phone to a $20/mo plan and just connected them to the wfi SL.

You either want the service or not. In the big picture the cost is tiny

 

[hollywood8118]

How fast is the " low speed" standby mode?
Mine on the boat is in that mode now but it switched after I traveled back home so I have no way to check. if I access the starlink app ( from home) for the boat it does not show available speed.
HW

 

[BDofMSP]

How fast is the " low speed" standby mode?
Mine on the boat is in that mode now but it switched after I traveled back home so I have no way to check. if I access the starlink app ( from home) for the boat it does not show available speed.
HW

1 Mbps

 

[Helmsman]

it seems like we no longer have the option to get billed for the extra GBs at $1.00 pe GB. that means that we are automatically switched tp reduced speed after 100 GB with no other option other than to upgrade to the unlimited plan if we want to continue at high speed.

as that the way you understand it?

What you can do is switch to the $165 unlimited plan which would be prorated to the end of the month, and then before the end of the month switch back to the $50 plan. Based upon usage in a given month, that allows for erring on the side of spending less money. One source stated that 100gb is approximately a week for a family. That is an immensely variable number based upon what life on the boat means for an individual.

Good move by Starlink, I think.

 

[SteveK]

Link to the details​

Roam 50GB is now Roam 100GB​

It appears to be an option for those that do not need more than 100GB or Roam unlimited. Offers same features like in motion. After 100GB you are on low speed, no option to go into full speed except to change to Roam unlimited, no add on GB.

 

[SteveK]

What you can do is switch to the $165 unlimited plan which would be prorated to the end of the month, and then before the end of the month switch back to the $50 plan. Based upon usage in a given month, that allows for erring on the side of spending less money. One source stated that 100gb is approximately a week for a family. That is an immensely variable number based upon what life on the boat means for an individual.

Good move by Starlink, I think.

I used 111GB in first 5 days of January with Roam unlimited. The new plan will serve those that average 25GB per week, or only need it one week a month.

 

[DDW]

I was pretty happy if I could get 150 Kbs on cell data. Not good for watching TV but I don't watch TV on the boat. If I was going to do that I'd stay home.

I will probably try just staying on the $5 plan and settle for 1 Mbs. For casual web access, email, and phone calls this is fine. The only time that will be an issue is downloading a big software or chart update. $50 for 100GB is a decent deal, but $5 for unlimited at 1Mbs is a screaming deal.

 

[Diep]

If you run a US account up into Canada on the water, do you get service for the first 5 days and then it's dead? Can you power off for 24 hours and get another 5 days until you hit 60? Or does your device need to connect from "land" again to reset the counter? If you trip the 5 day counter do you get 150 kbs or nothing at all?

Is it still where if you are pretty close to land it doesn't consider you to be in "territorial waters on inland waterways"? Somewhere I thought I read something to the effect of "usage in marinas doesn't count as territorial waters" but I can't find that again.

The terms refer to "Ocean Mode (Ocean Mode was previously referred to as Global Priority Data)" I find Global Priority Data in the Maritime section ($250 for 50gb) but nothing about an Ocean Mode. Clicking to learn more about Ocean Mode leads to a 404 error.

If they strictly enforced 5 consecutive days use in territorial waters and inland waterways, the dish will be useless on a boat.

 

[DDW]

See the note in post #3, copied from Starlink.com.

 

[Diep]

I guess I am struggling to understand what that actually means.

The only map I can find looks like this all over:

Is the inside passage "inland water" and OK for stationary use?

If it is OK for stationary use is it also exempt from the 5 consecutive days rule?

If these are the same terms they have always had then I guess the answer to both must be yes. But this is the first I have started looking at it seriously.

 

[DDW]

Well, I know it happens to work there.

But don't spend too much time trying to perfectly define Starlink's terms and conditions. They change frequently and on a lark. If you nail it down, next week it will be different anyway.

 

[SteveK]

what @DDW said. But.
GEN2 In motion worked to 12 knots before it was allowed to work. Licensing regulations are often involved with Starlink, until they are no longer a problem with GOV. Hacks were made to make it flat for at anchor, now the dish does so automatically. Now all new ones are flat designed.
One thing that has not changed is the overall cost while gaining additional benefits. The latest is standby, for a mere $5US WIFI monitoring is available, As is basic text, phone calls.

 

[neworleansrich]

Starlink is great! I used to pay $200 for KVH Direct TV.

 

[Kengoose]

I came to this thread late and with little knowledge of starlink. Am headed north this summer to Alaska. How do i get basic answers per starlink and its costs, connectivity and application for western Canada and Alaska. My local Best Buy was not helpful per marine applications. This thread while interesting is way beyond my learning curve.

 

[SteveK]

I came to this thread late and with little knowledge of starlink. Am headed north this summer to Alaska. How do i get basic answers per starlink and its costs, connectivity and application for western Canada and Alaska. My local Best Buy was not helpful per marine applications. This thread while interesting is way beyond my learning curve.

Go online to Starlink

 

[READY]

There are many threads on SL. Check The Starlink website for plans or pricing. Essentially you pay $50 for 100GB per month as long as you are staying within about 12 miles of the coast. I think unlimited is around $165. If you want coverage farther offshore there are plans but more expensive. The mini dish is around $250 to purchase. Can be set on deck, no need for precision aiming.

 

[DDW]

Also, it will work in Canada and Alaska, or it at least it did last summer when we were up there. Be aware that Starlink changes their policies and plans more often than most people change underwear.

 

[Helmsman]

I came to this thread late and with little knowledge of starlink. Am headed north this summer to Alaska. How do i get basic answers per starlink and its costs, connectivity and application for western Canada and Alaska. My local Best Buy was not helpful per marine applications. This thread while interesting is way beyond my learning curve.

These folks provide a lot of info for boaters. Mobile Internet for RV & Boats - Unbiased News, Guidance & Education

Decide first which dish you want. The Gen 3 or the mini. The plans are the same for either. You will end up with roam, which will cover you for the trip to Alaska. $165 is unlimited, while $50 gets you 100 gb. 100 gb wont get you too far if you watch TV, work from the boat, etc.

If you plan to go farther offshore than 12 miles, and need internet while out there then you need to look at the global ocean mode. As the last poster mentioned a forum search will yield a lot of info. Keep asking questions!

 

[Bud]

Starlink is owned and operated by Space X. Space X is going public this summer. There might be some cleaning up of plans for the IPO. Space X is valued between $800 billion to $1.5 trillion, which will be the largest IPO in history. If you want to hedge agains't higher prices for starlink buy some Space X stock when it goes public. There is a possibility (speculation) they spin off Starlink and do a seperate IPO for it.

Bud

 

[Chris M]

Wait, so if I want a basic Internet connection in Western Canadian coastal waters (mostly the Strait of Georgia, maybe the Discovery Passage), just to run e-charts on my tablet for navigation, I'm only going to be allowed to use it for five consecutive days at a time, and only up to 60 days total for the year? And they want $100 US a month for that??

Can I even get an account for in Canada? Or would that be roaming?

Do you guys know if the unlimited 1 Mbps for $5 US connection works in Canada, and is it enough to run navigation software like Orca or Navionics, in your experience?

Not too worried about watching videos; I just don't want to lose my navigation when my cell service drops!

 

[Frosty]

Wait, so if I want a basic Internet connection in Western Canadian coastal waters (mostly the Strait of Georgia, maybe the Discovery Passage), just to run e-charts on my tablet for navigation..... I just don't want to lose my navigation when my cell service drops!

I'm not sure what "e-charts" are, but any charts I've run on a tablet or phone I downloaded the "tiles" I wanted ahead of time. So no Internet connection needed when underway.

Or are e-charts some sort of "live" charting so you have to be online? That seems a little scary to me. Not something I would want to rely on anywhere.

 

[Chris M]

Just meant charts on the tablet instead of paper charts.

I'm a bit confused about how the tablet charts work then, I think! I'm glad to hear you don't need a live connection to the Internet to use them (I'll definitely make sure to download the ones I need ahead of time! Thanks for that reminder!), but wouldn't you need an Internet connection for the GPS on the tablet to work, to be able to tell where you are on the chart? Or is that separate from one's Internet connection?

I'll have to look that up! I've got a GPS unit on my boat, but I'm pretty sure it's at least twenty years old, so I doubt I can hook the tablet into it, and I have no idea if I can use it to plot a course, or how to update any charts it might have (or acquire more! More things to look up lol). I can use my phone as a hotspot, but of course you don't always have cell coverage out there. So I figured StarLink was my only choice.

Might be time to upgrade my GPS unit, but I'm hesitant to if it still works. Still, one with Bluetooth would be convenient!

Happy to skip Internet access while I'm out and about if I don't need it for navigation!

 

[SteveK]

most tablets have GPS built in. What GPS are you wanting to upgrade and why, is it not working?