It’s been a bit of a raw deal for rural Australians who need to rely on satellite NBN to run a business for some time now. Many rural areas have no access to a NBN service and mobile coverage is patchy. So, it’s no surprise that many people are starting to take Starlink for a whirl. Starlink offers unlimited data and internet speeds as fast as in metropolitan and regional areas, for rural areas.

Starlink uses thousands of low-orbit satellites to connect people in remote areas. While Starlink is a very different type of satellite and internet connection to NBN’s Sky Muster, the broad principle is generally the same. Starlink satellites in orbit, communicate with transceivers on the ground and deliver a wireless signal to a terminal in your home (which plays the same role as a roof mounted NBN dish). It can provide download speeds of up to 200Mb/s to users – far quicker than the 25-30Mb/s typically provided by its higher-orbit rivals. Its speed advantage comes from using satellites lower in the sky and closer to earth – around 500 kilometres up compared to more than 30,000km.

For fixed locations, Starlink offers two service levels classified as residential and business, however, many smaller business locations will choose to use a residential service.

Starlink’s residential service with unlimited downloads goes for $139 per month. Once you’re connected, you’ll typically have to pay a $924 fee for the hardware plus a $115 shipping and handling fee. At present, this is currently discounted to $199 for rural customers and $599 for everyone else. This deal runs until the end of the year. This gets you all the equipment you need to get started, including a satellite dish, mounting tripod designed for ground-level usage and a Wi-Fi router.

Starlink’s business service offers advantages over the residential service with a higher gain antenna, additional throughput allocation, and better extreme weather performance. Business customers have access to 24/7 prioritised support. The pricing starts at $374 per month and has a one-time hardware cost of $3,740.

Starlink billing begins from shipping date and is month-to-month with no lock in contract.

While Starlink can cost a little more than Satellite NBN at a baseline, the unlimited data, reliability, and speeds involved may mean you’re getting more bang for your buck.

Anyone, anywhere in Australia can now order a Starlink plan. To order yours, please go to: https://www.starlink.com/