Starlink : Markets and Marketing

[OceanCat]

Australia: Liberals complain rural kids can’t game on NBN satellites as users jump ship to Musk’s Starlink

Coalition senators have complained their children aren’t able to use NBN’s satellite broadband for gaming, as the company admits 10,000 users have switched away from the service, including to Elon Musk’s Starlink.

...

In Senate estimates on Tuesday night, NBN Co’s regional and remote development manager Gavin Williams said Starlink was having a “modest” impact on Sky Muster. He indicated the number of active users had declined from a peak of around 120,000 to 110,000, but did not say this was all a result of Starlink.

The Liberal senator Hollie Hughes said she was “surprised” it was just 10,000 who had abandoned the satellite service.

...

Williams said the company had been making substantial improvements to the satellite service, including offering speeds of between 25Mbps and 50Mbps, and providing unlimited video streaming between midnight and 4pm... he welcomed the advances in technology that now allow for Starlink but said Sky Muster offers its service at a lower price. The upfront cost of the Starlink technology is now $450 (marked down from $924) with a monthly fee of $139. There is no upfront fee for the satellite NBN, and while capped at 300GB per month the plans are less than half the price.

[DanClemmensen]

Australia: Liberals complain rural kids can’t game on NBN satellites as users jump ship to Musk’s Starlink

Coalition senators have complained their children aren’t able to use NBN’s satellite broadband for gaming, as the company admits 10,000 users have switched away from the service, including to Elon Musk’s Starlink.

...

In Senate estimates on Tuesday night, NBN Co’s regional and remote development manager Gavin Williams said Starlink was having a “modest” impact on Sky Muster. He indicated the number of active users had declined from a peak of around 120,000 to 110,000, but did not say this was all a result of Starlink.

The Liberal senator Hollie Hughes said she was “surprised” it was just 10,000 who had abandoned the satellite service.

...

Williams said the company had been making substantial improvements to the satellite service, including offering speeds of between 25Mbps and 50Mbps, and providing unlimited video streaming between midnight and 4pm... he welcomed the advances in technology that now allow for Starlink but said Sky Muster offers its service at a lower price. The upfront cost of the Starlink technology is now $450 (marked down from $924) with a monthly fee of $139. There is no upfront fee for the satellite NBN, and while capped at 300GB per month the plans are less than half the price.

If you are a gamer, you don't move away from a GEO provider because of bandwidth or cost. You move because of latency. There is nothing NBN can do to reduce the speed-of-light delay.

[RedLineTrain]

https://twitter.com/VirtuallyNathan/status/1625534183987908609

Starlink Maritime (and presumably aviation) are now available globally, and in territorial waters regulation permitting!

As I understand, Starlink Maritime was originally only offered in the US and Canada.  This made it difficult for the maritime industry in Europe to implement it, even if the boat or rig ended up being used in US waters.  Now they can do so more readily.

[kevin-rf]

For Maritime, they really need to add Panama, Liberia, and the Marshalls....

[virtuallynathan]

https://twitter.com/VirtuallyNathan/status/1626323490558312449?s=20

[M.E.T.]

https://twitter.com/VirtuallyNathan/status/1626323490558312449?s=20

Hmm. Might this impact the prospects of Greg Wyler’s 300,000 strong Rwandan satellite constellation, which he registered with the FCC?

On second thought, no, I reckon the prospects for that constellation remain unchanged by this development.

[matthewkantar]

I think the main impediment there is raising 150? Billion dollars with strong well funded competitors out there. Wyler’s ship has most likely sailed.

[RedLineTrain]

Here's a good overview of the pros and cons of the various data systems available on yachts and why Starlink is an extremely good deal (relatively) for yacht owners.  It's in layman's terms.

[kevinof]

Here's a good overview of the pros and cons of the various data systems available on yachts and why Starlink is an extremely good deal (relatively) for yacht owners.  It's in layman's terms.

That's for "superyachts" which are typically $10M+.

Many boats (like mine) which is now my only home and $5K a month is just not on. If I lived on land in a house it would be less than $500 for the same usage.

Hoping Oneweb will do better especially for mobile, low bandwidth users.


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[RedLineTrain]

Here's a good overview of the pros and cons of the various data systems available on yachts and why Starlink is an extremely good deal (relatively) for yacht owners.  It's in layman's terms.

That's for "superyachts" which are typically $10M+.

Many boats (like mine) which is now my only home and $5K a month is just not on. If I lived on land in a house it would be less than $500 for the same usage.

Hoping Oneweb will do better especially for mobile, low bandwidth users.

As of now, Starlink RV probably works fine for your boat for your purposes.  So I don't think this video is for you, except if you are curious about the considerations that the bigger yachts face.

Also, on the comments to that video, there are some who say that there is an intermediate Starlink Maritime offering that might appeal to some ($1k/mo).

[kevinof]

Here's a good overview of the pros and cons of the various data systems available on yachts and why Starlink is an extremely good deal (relatively) for yacht owners.  It's in layman's terms.

That's for "superyachts" which are typically $10M+.

Many boats (like mine) which is now my only home and $5K a month is just not on. If I lived on land in a house it would be less than $500 for the same usage.

Hoping Oneweb will do better especially for mobile, low bandwidth users.

As of now, Starlink RV probably works fine for your boat for your purposes.  So I don't think this video is for you, except if you are curious about the considerations that the bigger yachts face.

Also, on the comments to that video, there are some who say that there is an intermediate Starlink Maritime offering that might appeal to some ($1k/mo).

RV is fine if you stay in same country or return home every 90 days. If you don't they shut you off.  Also no service offshore (>100 miles ) unless you pay $5K/month. They need a nomad service for consumer audience.

[niwax]

Here's a good overview of the pros and cons of the various data systems available on yachts and why Starlink is an extremely good deal (relatively) for yacht owners.  It's in layman's terms.

That's for "superyachts" which are typically $10M+.

Many boats (like mine) which is now my only home and $5K a month is just not on. If I lived on land in a house it would be less than $500 for the same usage.

Hoping Oneweb will do better especially for mobile, low bandwidth users.

As of now, Starlink RV probably works fine for your boat for your purposes.  So I don't think this video is for you, except if you are curious about the considerations that the bigger yachts face.

Also, on the comments to that video, there are some who say that there is an intermediate Starlink Maritime offering that might appeal to some ($1k/mo).

RV is fine if you stay in same country or return home every 90 days. If you don't they shut you off.  Also no service offshore (>100 miles ) unless you pay $5K/month. They need a nomad service for consumer audience.

How many people who can't afford $1000 a month regularly stay more than 100 miles offshore? Also, haven't they just announced global roaming service? The maritime plan only applies if you spend days on the open sea.

[kevinof]

Here's a good overview of the pros and cons of the various data systems available on yachts and why Starlink is an extremely good deal (relatively) for yacht owners.  It's in layman's terms.

That's for "superyachts" which are typically $10M+.

Many boats (like mine) which is now my only home and $5K a month is just not on. If I lived on land in a house it would be less than $500 for the same usage.

Hoping Oneweb will do better especially for mobile, low bandwidth users.

As of now, Starlink RV probably works fine for your boat for your purposes.  So I don't think this video is for you, except if you are curious about the considerations that the bigger yachts face.

Also, on the comments to that video, there are some who say that there is an intermediate Starlink Maritime offering that might appeal to some ($1k/mo).

RV is fine if you stay in same country or return home every 90 days. If you don't they shut you off.  Also no service offshore (>100 miles ) unless you pay $5K/month. They need a nomad service for consumer audience.

How many people who can't afford $1000 a month regularly stay more than 100 miles offshore? Also, haven't they just announced global roaming service? The maritime plan only applies if you spend days on the open sea.

So for “roaming” there is RV solution and then maritime at 5000/month +10k equipment charge and two antenna so double the power needed and then where do you find space.

Here’s how it works for the roaming plebs who can’t pay 5k/month. I will leave Panama in Jan and RV Starlink will work until I am 100m (ish) offshore, then it stops and will not work again for the next 4000 miles or 30 days. But when I reach my destination it’s now a change in Country (or they cut you off) so I have to do an address change ,submit a support request (good luck with that), and find some local to “loan” me a physical address for a couple of months. Then repeat and repeat and repeat. And this is not high usage scenario - this is one person on a boat trying to use Starlink from his home.

It’s a great solution for those with fixed address or commercial orgs who have very deep pockets but for others not so much. Wont be getting rid of my iridium/4G repeater any time soon.

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1628192967935799297

Starlink is now available in the Philippines → starlink.com/map

[FutureSpaceTourist]

https://twitter.com/spacex/status/1628396847076106240

Starlink is now live in Rwanda → starlink.com/map

[M.E.T.]

https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/elon-musk-s-starlink-nears-100-000-australian-customers-20230223-p5cn23.html

Article from the Sydney Morning Herald might be paywalled, but in summary, it shares an update from a confidential industry meeting that Starlink now has 95,000 Australian subscribers and is growing fast. This is alarming traditional providers in regional areas, and jeopardising their very viability.

Now, Australia only has 25 million people, of which 17 million live in the capital cities. Industry estimates are that the traditional addressable market for regional satellite internet is about 400,000 premises. This market might increase given Starlink’s offering, but as it stands, if Starlink was able to jump to 100,000 subscribers already, well, they really have no competition.

[Tomness]

https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/elon-musk-s-starlink-nears-100-000-australian-customers-20230223-p5cn23.html

Article from the Sydney Morning Herald might be paywalled, but in summary, it shares an update from a confidential industry meeting that Starlink now has 95,000 Australian subscribers and is growing fast. This is alarming traditional providers in regional areas, and jeopardising their very viability.

Now, Australia only has 25 million people, of which 17 million live in the capital cities. Industry estimates are that the traditional addressable market for regional satellite internet is about 400,000 premises. This market might increase given Starlink’s offering, but as it stands, if Starlink was able to jump to 100,000 subscribers already, well, they really have no competition.

People in the cities will have high-speed internet, it's the rural people that need it the most.  They don't want to run fiber, Starlink can bridge that gap.

[M.E.T.]

https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/elon-musk-s-starlink-nears-100-000-australian-customers-20230223-p5cn23.html

Article from the Sydney Morning Herald might be paywalled, but in summary, it shares an update from a confidential industry meeting that Starlink now has 95,000 Australian subscribers and is growing fast. This is alarming traditional providers in regional areas, and jeopardising their very viability.

Now, Australia only has 25 million people, of which 17 million live in the capital cities. Industry estimates are that the traditional addressable market for regional satellite internet is about 400,000 premises. This market might increase given Starlink’s offering, but as it stands, if Starlink was able to jump to 100,000 subscribers already, well, they really have no competition.

People in the cities will have high-speed internet, it's the rural people that need it the most.  They don't want to run fiber, Starlink can bridge that gap.

Correct. But there is a traditional rural National Broadband satellite service with about 100,000 subscribers which is now being threatened by Starlink. The service provides about 25Mb/s download and 5Mb/s upload speed for a capped amount of data per month.

Starlink is eroding its customer base fast and will continue to do so.

[Robotbeat]

Will mean the download cap can be increased, tho.

[DanClemmensen]

https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/elon-musk-s-starlink-nears-100-000-australian-customers-20230223-p5cn23.html

Article from the Sydney Morning Herald might be paywalled, but in summary, it shares an update from a confidential industry meeting that Starlink now has 95,000 Australian subscribers and is growing fast. This is alarming traditional providers in regional areas, and jeopardising their very viability.

Now, Australia only has 25 million people, of which 17 million live in the capital cities. Industry estimates are that the traditional addressable market for regional satellite internet is about 400,000 premises. This market might increase given Starlink’s offering, but as it stands, if Starlink was able to jump to 100,000 subscribers already, well, they really have no competition.

People in the cities will have high-speed internet, it's the rural people that need it the most.  They don't want to run fiber, Starlink can bridge that gap.

Correct. But there is a traditional rural National Broadband satellite service with about 100,000 subscribers which is now being threatened by Starlink. The service provides about 25Mb/s download and 5Mb/s upload speed for a capped amount of data per month.

Starlink is eroding its customer base fast and will continue to do so.

As customers leave, the bandwidth available for the remaining customers improves. A GEO beam covers a large area (e.g., all of Australia) so one customer leaving will provide a little bit if help for a lot of customers. It's still poor relative to Starlink, but there is a tradeoff in there somewhere. Sunk costs are sunk but at some point the GEO provider will not be making enough money to sustain operations, but it will take awhile.