Starlink subscribers were in for a surprise on Aug. 25.
SpaceX's internet-from-space service recently was reportedly notifying customers that their monthly subscription to the service has been reduced in light of "local market conditions."
It is unknown if the event Elon Musk will be on Aug. 25 is connected to the discounts the company handed out.
Starlink Monthly Subscription Discount Details
Starlink subscribers were surprised that they received a notification from the company regarding a discount. A report from The Verge mentioned that customers who received one found that their monthly subscriptions have been reduced in response to "local market conditions."
"The price reduction factor in your local market conditions and is meant to reflect parity in purchasing power across our customers," Starlink said in its email to those who got the discount.
You may remember early this year that Starlink was forced to increase its prices to keep up with the rising inflation. As such, new orders to Starlink would cost $599 while the company's monthly subscription fee will cost $110 per month from the previous $99.
However, some Starlink subscribers that got the notification got discounts up to 50%.
The discount isn't limited to one area or country; it is available to the whole world. People on a Reddit thread created in the r/Starlink subreddit found that people from the UK, US, Germany, Canada, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic have received discounted prices out of the blue.
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The Verge's Thomas Ricker, who is currently living in the Netherlands, got a €19 discount from Starlink, meaning he'll only have to pay €105 instead of the previously increased price of €124.
A Redditor presumably from the US commented in the Reddit thread that their monthly service fee went down to $85 thanks to the discount.
However, upon close inspection, it seems that countries from Australia, Europe, and North and South America have received the discount.
Additionally, it seems that not everyone from these countries can take advantage of the lower prices. While there are Starlink subscribers who are getting discounts, others have not received the notification in question.
Starlink has yet to mention a reduction in speed or the addition of strict data caps to offset the new discounted prices, so far. However, the lowering of prices is a welcome surprise from the company due to the inflation's effects on subscribers.
It is unknown if the SpaceX and T-Mobile event that Elon Musk will be attending is connected to the discoutns as Musk wants to announce plans to "increase connectivity."
Starlink's Benefits
Satellite Internet mentioned in its report that Starlink now provides 100 to 150 Mbps per month, which is faster than American internet service providers Viasat and HughesNet.
In addition to that, a Starlink subscription can be provided to any part of the world as it doesn't require cables like traditional internet services providers.
All Starlink provides is an antenna to create a connection to the Starlink constellation in space and a router for a Wi-Fi connection, per Starlink.
Subscribers can enjoy high-speed internet connection and latencies as low as 20ms in most locations.
The antenna is also weather resistant, meaning that a Starlink subscriber's connection to the Starlink constellation won't be interrupted due to bad weather.
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