Starlink announces Data Caps!

[Jim]

In an email sent today, Starlink is going to enforce data caps starting December 2022, email follows.

To ensure our customer base is not negatively impacted by a small number of users consuming unusually high amounts of data, the Starlink team is implementing a Fair Use policy in December 2022. Under the Fair Use policy, all Business customers will receive unlimited data, and will start each month with Priority Access, which means their data usage will be prioritized during times of network congestion. Customers who exceed 1 TB of data use on a monthly basis (currently < 10% of users) will automatically be switched to Basic Access for the remainder of the billing cycle, and will be bitrate limited to 1 Mbps download and 1 Mbps upload. Data used between 11pm - 7am will not count towards your Priority Access. In the last six months, you have used over 1TB of data during at least one month, which means you may be bitrate limited if your usage patterns stay the same. You will have the option to opt-in to automatic upgrades back to Priority Access should you exceed 1 TB of data per month. Starting today, you can now monitor your data usage on your account page. Read more in Starlink’s Fair Use policy and in the Terms of Service. Thank you for being an early customer and for your continued support of Starlink! Starlink Team NOTE: The Terms of Service also include updates on using the HP Flat Starlink designed for in-motion use. By continuing your use of Starlink, you agree to be subject to the Fair Use policy and the updated Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these changes, you can cancel your Starlink Services at any time via the Customer Support Portal.

 

[Neal]

1 TB seems fair to me, not sure about for commercial accounts, they shouldn't be capped, but I understand the reason in a network with seemingly limited bandwidth.

 

[sheridany]

I think we should drop all this see it in 4K listen to it in surround sound with headphones drone flying nonsense and put our own RVF satellites up. Between @Neal’s aeronautical skills and @Jim ’s I can build and do anything, those rockets will be heading to space soon. Who is in? I am.

 

[Jim]

1 TB seems fair to me, not sure about for commercial accounts, they shouldn't be capped, but I understand the reason in a network with seemingly limited bandwidth.

Yes, and no.

The business plan was sold as a solution to a small business, or group of small business's like a strip mall. 1 TB is not enough for a business with any volume.

In my case, campers streaming video will eat 1 gig an hour. Average time watching the tube, what? Maybe 3-4 hours? So 4 GB X 8 campsites = 32 GB a day. That's 960GB a month, or just under the TB allowed.

Problem is, campers leave the TV on to keep their dogs occupied, or to drown the outside noises. The last camper to leave burned through 10 GB a day. Average I'm seeing is 6 GB a day. A TB of data a month is not enough to satisfy the needs of a park full of Youtube viewers.

The big deal here is that the service was not sold as what they're turning it into. And a lot of us, myself included, have invested a great deal of money setting up towers, repeaters, etc., to make it work. And now they're changing the rules after-the-fact.

 

[Neal]

The last camper to leave burned through 10 GB a day

I'm sorry but Elli has her animal planet requirement...4K of course.

 

[Jim]

And that's just what the campers will use. We have a pavilion with a TV that runs most of the day/night. People want to watch football, etc. There goes another 10 GB a day.

I understand that Starlink is facing some serious growing pains, but this is going to be some seriously negative press. Bait-N-Switch comes to mind. . .

 

[Neal]

Yes, and no.

The business plan was sold as a solution to a small business, or group of small business's like a strip mall. 1 TB is not enough for a business with any volume.

In my case, campers streaming video will eat 1 gig an hour. Average time watching the tube, what? Maybe 3-4 hours? So 4 GB X 8 campsites = 32 GB a day. That's 960GB a month, or just under the TB allowed.

Problem is, campers leave the TV on to keep their dogs occupied, or to drown the outside noises. The last camper to leave burned through 10 GB a day. Average I'm seeing is 6 GB a day. A TB of data a month is not enough to satisfy the needs of a park full of Youtube viewers.

The big deal here is that the service was not sold as what they're turning it into. And a lot of us, myself included, have invested a great deal of money setting up towers, repeaters, etc., to make it work. And now they're changing the rules after-the-fact.

I hear ya and I know your business relies on this. I don't know that surcharging for Internet would go over well. I know you have a good system for bandwidth limiting, if I was you I'd consider what I suggested. Each site has their own SSID and you can control the per site limitations. Other options would be to add more Starlinks, or maybe they'll sell bandwidth for overages?

Some streaming platforms such as Netflix etc. are actually not big data hogs. They will try lower bandwidth and it's not really pushing gigs as we think. I don't know if in Ubiquity you can schedule limits, i.e. prime time hours set speed caps to force streaming platforms into lower bandwidth delivery. You're definitely going to have to get smart on bandwidth protection. You have good tools in place for it.

 

[AuntieDodo]

I’d be pi$$ed too. You have invested buckets of money in this not too long ago and 1TB for a business is not enough. They are not fulfilling what you signed up for. Crazy!

 

[Jim]

Other options would be to add more Starlinks, or maybe they'll sell bandwidth for overages?

Additional data is $.25 per GB. Not a lot, but still, not what we bought into.

The whole thing is crap. If Starlink has to limit data then it's because they oversold the service or there isn't enough data to go around. But apparently there is enough data because, for an additional payment, you can have more of it.

 

[sheridany]

Elon needs to pay for the Twitter acquisition somehow…..