Starlink portability now $25/month

[shimari]

Well that didn't take long. I received an email this morning from Starlink. They are now going to charge $25 usd a month if you want portability.

Here's the information from their FAQ:

What is Starlink's Portability Feature and Policy?
For an additional monthly fee, the Portability feature enables users to temporarily move their Starlink to new locations in order to receive service anywhere within the same continent Starlink provides active coverage. To see active coverage areas, please view the Starlink Availability Map. Portable users are served best effort and can expect lower service levels than fixed users, particularly in areas marked as "Waitlist" on the Availability Map.

Add Portability on Your Account:

If you are an active customer, you can enable Portability from your account page and it will take effect immediately.

If you have multiple Starlinks, Portability must be selected and purchased for each location.

When you enable Portability, you are charged on your next monthly invoice. Portability is charged in full monthly increments and cannot be pro-rated. The Portability feature and billing charges will be ongoing until you decide to disable it. Once you disable Portability, the recurring charge will stop after your next monthly invoice and Portability will only remain active for the remainder of the current billing cycle. For example, if you enable Portability on March 12th and your next billing date is on April 1st, you will be charged $25 on April 1st for the full previous month.

Limitations:

Best Effort Service: Portability service is provided on a best effort basis. Stated speeds and uninterrupted use of services are not guaranteed. Starlink prioritizes network resources for users at their registered service address. When you bring your Starlink to a new location, this prioritization may result in degraded service, particularly at times of peak usage or network congestion.

International Travel: Starlink can only be used within the same continent as the registered Service Address. If you use Starlink in a foreign country for more than two months, you will be required to move your registered service address to your new location or purchase an additional Starlink to maintain service.

No In-Motion Use: We do not support Starlink use in motion at this time. Using the Starlink Kit in motion will void the limited warranty of your Kit. While our teams are actively working to make it possible to use Starlink on moving vehicles (e.g., automobiles, RVs, boats), Starlink is not yet configured to be safely used in this way.

[catalystcat]

I got this email as well. Interesting.

To add to this, here is an excerpt added to the Starlink FAQs:
Limitations (see esp the note about in-motion use):

Best Effort Service: Portability service is provided on a best effort basis. Stated speeds and uninterrupted use of services are not guaranteed. Starlink prioritizes network resources for users at their registered service address. When you bring your Starlink to a new location, this prioritization may result in degraded service, particularly at times of peak usage or network congestion.

International Travel: Starlink can only be used within the same continent as the registered Service Address. If you use Starlink in a foreign country for more than two months, you will be required to move your registered service address to your new location or purchase an additional Starlink to maintain service.

No In-Motion Use: We do not support Starlink use in motion at this time. Using the Starlink Kit in motion will void the limited warranty of your Kit. While our teams are actively working to make it possible to use Starlink on moving vehicles (e.g., automobiles, RVs, boats), Starlink is not yet configured to be safely used in this way.

[goboatingnow]

Is that $25 on top of the current service charge

[shimari]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Is that $25 on top of the current service charge

Yes it is.

[Franziska]

Pretty cool, we are getting closer to a real solution!
Wonder what they need to register in a new continent.
Just any address? Would they still accept payment from an overseas account?

[Steve_C]

Has anyone ordered from a marina address in the Med area? How long did it take to be delivered? I am in the Gibraltar area heading east into the Med and would like to try, but unsure of where to go to receive it. Thoughts??

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Steve_C

Has anyone ordered from a marina address in the Med area? How long did it take to be delivered? I am in the Gibraltar area heading east into the Med and would like to try, but unsure of where to go to receive it. Thoughts??

Is there any coverage currently in the med

[paulajayne]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Is there any coverage currently in the med

Yes.
Check the coverage map on Starlink web site.

[AA3JY]

So if your swinging on an anchor.. Is that considered “In motion”?

[Elcid]

On reddit I read about some people who used Starlink on boats. So it works, but maybe they voided their warranty.

I am waiting for their new solution for moving vehicles. They are actively working on it. And then I will pull the trigger. Hopefully next year.

As far as I know you pay $500 for the equipment and then per month. But they don't lock you into a yearly contract.
Anyone know this for sure? It would be perfect for my use-case to pay only during the summer season.

[flyingnut40]

Just be aware that if you suspend your service and your area fills to capacity, you will be put on a wait list like a new customer, or have to play the alternate address game and pay the roaming fee.

[sailcrazy]

Following. Cruising here in the Puerto Rico/USVI/BVI area of northern Caribb it looks like a godsend....but I fear there's a hook in there someplace. A couple of local cruisers have purchased and installed the equipment, and at first blush they reported "Roaming" available; it had seemingly good service as they went from USVI to BVI, etc. Did Elon just wake up? I'm still looking for the hook!

[AndyOz]

Well, it seems it's not really affected by speed of a vehicle:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PDVURcvWeg

[purplesunrise]

We have had Starlink on the boat for about a week and it is working great. It was first set up in Ft. Pierce (anchored out) and now we have it running in St. Augustine. The setup was incredibly easy and it worked on the first try. Since we are in portable mode, the speeds are not what you get in a fixed location but they are 50 times faster than T-Mobile 4G and about 10-15 times faster than Verizon 4G (we have both SIMS in our Pepwave). We did not try it enroute because we do not have it securely mounted (and Starlink is not FCC approved for in motion) but when in use it seems to be perfectly happy sitting in the foredeck area. At anchor or on the ball in an area with wind and current our boat will swing a lot (common cat issue). The Starlink followed without any dropouts. A truly amazing piece of technology and I think you can expect nothing less from SpaceX.

[shimari]

Starlink has now introduced a service plan just for RVs. You can pause service and restart without additional cost. No reason we can't use that plan for boats (if you only need seasonal coverage).

https://www.starlink.com/rv