STARLINK Maritime is a high-speed, low-latency internet service that downloads up to 350 Mbps while at sea. The service is available for $5,000 per month and requires a one-time hardware cost of $10,000 for two high-performance terminals. Those dual terminals are high-performance tandem antennas, vital for maintaining the connection in choppy seas or heavy storms.

How does Starlink Maritime change the game?

Starlink Maritime satellite broadband service provides reliable, high-speed Internet access to vessels of all types and sizes, even in the most remote waters. Starlink Maritime can connect you from anywhere in the world, whether you’re a merchant vessel, oil rig, or premium yacht. With speeds up to 350 Mbps, Starlink Maritime is the perfect solution for your maritime broadband needs.

Designed with security in mind

Starlink, a maritime, announced that it had implemented end-to-end encryption to protect your data and the confidentiality of your user traffic. All ships’ and shore communications are encrypted, ensuring that your conversations remain private. This is a big step forward for Starlink and the maritime industry. Encrypting all communications can better protect our users from cyberattacks and other malicious activities. This will also help to build trust among our customers and partners.

Built for the Charter Market

Starlink Maritime offers the ability to pause and un-pause service at any time and is billed in one-month increments. Starlink Maritime makes a perfect choice for businesses that have unpredictable or seasonal workloads. There is no need to worry about long-term contracts or commitment; simply pay for the service you need each month.

Long Term Vision

With the approval of the e-sim license from the FCC, we see Starlink race to deploy new hardware that is able to be used while in motion. Starlink Maritime is expected to be the first in a series of new solutions covering Airplanes and Fleet vehicles. Starlink has Starlink for RV, but I would wager my dinner they plan to refresh Starlink with RV with new hardware that will be rooftop mountable to enable fast speed while on the road.

Choppy waters ahead

The FCC is still mulling over how the 12ghtz spectrum should be used and how they expect the frequency to handle interference. Currently, SpaceX is using the 12 gigahertz spectrum for downlink communications from Starlink satellites. This happens to be the exact terrestrial spectrum that Dish Network wants to repurpose to use for 5g cellular. In granting this license to Starlink, the fcc denied Dish’s requests to block Starlink from being mobile. Dish has plans for that spectrum and wants to deploy their 5g service on that frequency. If Dish gets their way, people may find that their Starlink service may drop out wherever dish towers are deployed. So if you happen to travel or boat into a dense urban environment (as some significant downtowns on the grand loop are located near marinas where Starlink maritime would be used), you may not get any service.

The Great Fight

Multiple significant companies are fighting each other both in court and in the public sphere. One Web and other providers have dreams of deploying mega-constellations in low earth orbit to compete with Starlink. All this competition will mean more choice for consumers, and with choice comes lower prices and more options. To stay in the loop, keep coming back by clicking here for the latest information on how to keep your internet mobile.