SpaceX launches premium space internet service – offering faster speeds for an even higher price

Starlink Premium will be launching in April 2022 for $2000 more than the standard service

(Getty Images)

SpaceX has announced a new version of Starlink that offers faster internet speeds for a higher price.

Starlink Premium advertises speeds of between 150 and 500Mbps (20 to 40ms latency) compared to the 50 to 250Mbps (20 to 40ms latency) that users get with the standard service.

The company claims that upload speeds are doubled too – a maximum of 40Mbps compared to the regular 20Mbps. There are, as yet, no data caps on the service.

“Starlink Premium has more than double the antenna capability of Starlink, delivering faster internet speeds and higher throughput for the highest demand users, including businesses”, its website states.

This new dish should supposedly operate more consistently in “extreme weather conditions”, and customers will have access to constant support from SpaceX.

This upgrade is over $2000 more expensive than the standard subscription. The standard Starlink costs $499 for the antenna and then $99 per month for the subscription, while Premium costs $2500 for the hardware and then $500 per month on top of that.

In the UK, the standard Starlink subscription costs £439 for the satellite dish and an £84 monthly fee. For Starlink Premium, a $500 deposit is also required to reserve the dish. Deliveries are set to start in April 2022.

“SpaceX standard antenna production rises rapidly this year, so those with orders shouldn’t have to wait long”, chief executive Elon Musk tweeted, but warned that “Starlink can only support a limited number of users in an area”.

The standard Starlink service has a history of forcing buyers to build “idiotic contraption[s]” in order to get the best internet signal - needing an 100-degree cone with a 25 degree elevation minimum around the centre of the dish. Starlink also notes that “a single tree” can interrupt users’ service.

Premium may not run into the same issues, though, as it has “twice the area of our standard phased array with broader scan angle”, Mr Musk also said.

SpaceX controls more than a third of all active satellites in orbit following the 27th successful launch in December.

There are now more than 1,750 Starlink satellites in orbit, with the company aiming to make a 42,000-strong constellation - albeit one that could significantly harm astronomy.