Customers of SpaceX’s Starlink, Elon Musk’s internet-from-space service, are being informed of good news: their monthly subscription fees have been decreased due to “local market conditions.” Starlink is decreasing the monthly subscription charge in the Netherlands to €105 effective 8/24/2022, a report from The Verge says. At a time when everything else is becoming more expensive owing to inflation, the price reduction is appreciated. The notice from Starlink states that the price drop factors are there because of the local market conditions and is intended to represent parity in purchasing power across consumers. Similar discounts have been seen everywhere in the world, according to other people. For instance, a user from the UK claims a decrease in their monthly price to £75 (from £89), a user from Mexico reports a decrease to $1,100 (from $2,299 MXN), and a user from Germany reports a decrease to €80 (from €100). Users in Chile and Brazil have reported price reductions of approximately 50%. The mentioned statements are supported by a quick glance at each country’s service sites for Starlink. Less is known about the situation in the US, where the dollar has been rising sharply against other currencies. Although Starlink’s own pages still display a monthly subscription price of $110 following a one-time $599 purchase of the hardware kit, an individual in Nevada claims to have received a discount of $85 (was $110). Others who identify as Americans assert that they haven’t benefited from any price decreases. As of now, there has been no indication of a speed drop or the implementation of stringent data limits as a result of the discounted subscriptions. Elon Musk will be present at a joint event hosted by SpaceX and T-Mobile later today to reveal plans to “improve connectivity.” It’s unclear whether the incident is connected to the revised cost.
