Just days after the first images of Starlink’s new “Mini” dish appeared, some customers are receiving invitations to try it out. Starlink has started sending emails to long-time customers in the United States, offering early access to the laptop-sized antenna through a special invite-only program.
According to the invitation, the Mini kit will cost $599. That’s $100 more than the “Standard” dish, which is creating some confusion for Starlink fans on social media. One person on Reddit commented, “This is gross and makes the v3 a much better deal for certain areas being on sale for $299 and with unlimited data plans. I was so excited for this, but guess I’ll wait and see if it ever comes down from the ceiling.” Another wrote, “They are crazy for 600$”.
The confusion is understandable. Just a few days ago, Elon Musk tweeted that the Mini would cost “about half the price of the standard dish to buy”. The Standard dish retails for $499, so the Mini was expected to cost anywhere from $200 to $300.
In addition to the upfront hardware cost, customers will pay a $30/month service fee for the Mini Roam service plan add-on. The Mini won’t be on its own separate subscription. The Mini Roam add-on will be attached to existing Residential service.
With the Mini Roam add-on plan, customers get up to 50GB of Mobile data each month, and additional data can be purchased for $1/GB. The Mini dish can be used throughout the United States, but isn’t compatible with in-motion or ocean use at this time.
Since Mini Roam is an additional feature of the Residential plan, customers won’t be able to cancel their main subscription and keep the $30/month Mini add-on. Starlink also says users won’t be able to pause the Mini service during this invite-only period, like you can with the normal Roam service.
The early access pricing doesn’t appear to be permanent, though. In the support FAQ’s, Starlink explains:
“Our goal is to reduce the price of Starlink, especially for those around the world where connectivity has been unaffordable or completely unavailable. But in regions with high usage, where Starlink Mini places additional demand on the satellite network, we are offering a limited number of the Starlink Mini Kits to start for $599.”
Starlink Support FAQ
This product rollout is following a familiar pattern. When new products are launched, Starlink typically invites a small group of early adopters to buy and test out new hardware. I speculate that they collect data about the email invitation, like how many people accept the offer. They also listen to product feedback through online surveys. Based on the data collected during the invite-only phase, Starlink makes adjustments to pricing, availability, and features.
Another theory is that the inflated $599 Mini price gives Starlink a quick revenue boost just a few days before the end of the financial quarter. Customers with extra money and a desire to become an early adopter can pay the inflated price. When sales start to slow, Starlink can adjust the price of the Mini, and make it available to more customers.
Customers who haven’t received an invite, or who are outside of the US, will have to wait to purchase the Mini. Starlink says the Mini will expand to other markets over time, but they didn’t provide any details or timeline.
For more on the Starlink Mini and its features, check out this post.