Were you an early adopter of the ultrafast, low-latency Starlink broadband service from SpaceX? Then you may soon be invited to be part of the testing phase of Starlink’s new Mini Dish hardware terminal as well as their Mini Roaming service add-on.
Quick Recap on Starlink Satellite Broadband Service
SpaceX Starlink currently has 6,171 LEO satellites in orbit around the Earth at an altitude of circa 550km. By the end of 2027 they will have added thousands more.
Prices for UK customers generally start at £75 per month, plus Standard Plan hardware at a cost of £399. For these prices, the operator promises the following speeds:
- Download – 25-100Mbps
- Uploads – 5-10Mbps
- Latency – 25-60ms
By the end of last year, there were 42,000 Starlink customers in the UK (out of 2.3 million worldwide). This UK figure had almost quadrupled from the 13,000 UK customers in the previous year.
Most UK Starlink customers can be found in more rural, remote areas. Those in the most remote areas (think oceans, small islands and places like Antarctica) will have the highest latency.
Starlink Launch New Mini Dish and Mini Roam Service
Early adopters in the US have already been offered to purchase the new Mini Kit (Dish), with UK availability due to follow soon.
This new Mini Dish is not only smaller (298.5mm x 259mm x 38.5mm) but also 63% lighter than the standard dish from Starlink. Other specifications include:
- Operating temperature range – -30°C to 50°C
- Draws around 25-40 Watts on average
- Can run directly off 12-48V DC ( the dish comes with a 110V power supply with 15m of cable)
- Field of view (FoV) is 110 degrees, which is a bit better than the Standard dish
- Has a single Ethernet (LAN) port
- Can only be used whilst stationary (although a moving service may come later, likely for an additional cost)
- The built-in Wi-Fi is only dual-band (3×3) 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) instead of Wi-Fi 6
Currently in the USA, customers who use the new Mini Roam service that accompanies the new Mini Dish will have 50GB of ‘mobile’ data’ that they can use anywhere. Customers who use more than that will be charged $1 per GB.
How much does the new Mini Dish from Starlink cost?
The new Mini Kit (Dish) costs $599 (that’s £473 for us Brits) which is offered as part of a bundle with their new Mini Roam service for an extra $30 per month (which will be an additional £24 per month in the UK).
Whilst this cost would be on top of the subscription you already pay, at the least the price of the hardware is expected to decrease in the future.
What do SpaceX have to say about their new Mini Dish and Mini Roaming service?
As a customer of SpaceX Starlink satellite broadband, you may have received or soon be receiving an email stating the following:
“Starlink Mini is a compact, portable kit that can easily fit in a backpack, designed to provide high-speed, low-latency internet on the go. Starlink Mini includes a built-in WiFi router, lower power consumption, DC power input, and max download speeds over 100Mbps.”
“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.”
You can find the specifications for the Starlink Mini Dish on their website here and the set up guide here.
When will the UK get Starlink’s new Mini Dish and Mini Roaming service?
In the US, the initial deliveries of the Mini Dish kit are due to start in July 2024. Remember – This is currently still a bit of a trial product so we don’t yet know when this will be coming to the UK and how much the new Mini Dish kit will cost over here.
But we’ll be watching this space!
If you’re interested in whether Starlink satellite broadband could provide your rural business or outdoor event with more reliable internet than the connection you’re currently on then get in touch with our friendly team today. Our Wi-Fi expert engineers are on hand to identify whether Starlink satellite broadband could be the right solution for you.
