Starlink RV Rebrands as Starlink Roam, Offers Global Access for $200 Per Month

Global roaming is now available for Starlink users—if they pay d$200 per month. 

The new option is coming to Starlink RV, which has now been rebranded as Starlink Roam. On Wednesday, SpaceX updated(Opens in a new window) the official Starlink website to reflect the change. 

Starlink RV already offered the ability to roam, but the internet access was restricted to continent associated with your shipping address. Users on the service can now stick with the original $150-per-month “regional” roaming plan, or upgrade to the $200-per-month global roaming plan.

(Credit: Starlink.com)

The new service tier could be appealing to users who travel from continent to continent and need reliable internet access in remote areas, although lugging around a Starlink dish might not be easy. Last month, SpaceX was also spotted sending messages about the global roaming option to customers based in countries where Starlink isn’t officially available.  

However, the speeds for the global roaming option could be slow. “Starlink Roam provides Best Effort service—there is no priority access included in the plan,” the company wrote in a support page. This means users can expect download speeds ranging from 5 to 50Mbps, a decrease from the advertised 20 to 100Mbps speeds on the residential Starlink plan. 

A subscriber on the global roaming tier could also face broadband issues if they’re based in a region lacking Starlink ground stations, which beam the internet data to the company’s satellites above. Instead, the orbiting Starlink satellites will have to rely on laser links to help ferry the internet data to the rest of the satellite network. As a result, one Reddit user who bought the Starlink global roaming plan reports(Opens in a new window) suffering major latency, although the download speeds can reach as high as 130Mbps. 

SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, making it unclear if the company plans on offering global roaming to more consumers in countries where Starlink has yet to receive regulatory approval. 

The other problem is that SpaceX hasn’t provided a list of which countries support global roaming. The company’s term of service(Opens in a new window) only says users can expect connectivity in “any land-based destination where Starlink provides active coverage.”

(Credit: Starlink.com)

As for why SpaceX decided to rename Starlink RV, company CEO Elon Musk has previously mentioned the branding could be more accurate. SpaceX originally debuted the service tier last May as a way to use Starlink on road or camping trips. To do so, Starlink RV offered subscribers the ability to use the satellite internet service across a country, rather than in one fixed location. 

In October, Musk later tweeted: “We might need a different name, as this (Starlink RV) is basically just Starlink with roaming capability, so you can take your terminal anywhere.”