Starlink business plans | Is it still worth it in 2023?

by

Starlink business plans, they are here to stay. But is Starlink Business right for your business? 

Users still use the home version for their remote business, is that a good move? With the new tiers priced at $250/mo for 1TB, $500/mo for 2TB, and $1500/mo for 6TB of data, Starlink Business is making strides to accommodate the diverse needs of the business community.

After reading this article you will better understand Starlink Internet technology and be in a better position to make your Internet buying decision.

Starlink for business

Are you just buying for your home? Check out our in-depth article for home-Internet at Starlink Internet Explained

Overview of The Three Tiers

Starlink Business now has three tiers, catering to a broad spectrum of business needs. Below is an in-depth look at these tiers:

Tier 1

$250 US

Small Business:

  • Designed for smaller businesses or startups with moderate internet usage needs
  • Data Cap 1 TB

Tier 2

$500 US

Medium Business:

  • The middle tier caters to growing businesses with an increased demand for data.
  • Data Cap 2 TB

Tier 3

$1500 US

Large Business:

  • Tailored for large enterprises with hefty data requirements
  • Data Cap 10 TB
See all plans and pricing

Comparing the Tiers: Who Should Opt for Which Tier?

The tier selection would largely depend on the scale of business operations and data usage patterns. Small businesses or startups might find the 1TB tier sufficient, while growing businesses could opt for the 2TB tier. Large enterprises with extensive data needs would likely find value in the 6TB tier.

Moreover, the additional feature of purchasing extra data at $0.50 per GB post the data cap is a thoughtful provision for businesses that might have sporadic spikes in data usage. The tiered structure of Starlink Business service not only provides flexibility in choosing a plan that fits but also brings transparency in pricing and data usage, which is critical for businesses to manage their operational costs effectively​1​.

Starlink Business is more than just a high-speed internet service; it’s an enabler for businesses striving for effective digital operations. Let’s dissect some of the notable features:

The High Performance Dish

  • Enhanced Antenna Capacity: Over twice the antenna capacity of standard dishes, facilitating better connectivity.
  • Wider Field of View: Ensures a stable connection even in areas with obstructions.
  • Higher Priority and Speeds: Promises a superior internet experience, crucial for real-time business operations.

Speed Ranges and Their Implications

  • Speed Spectrum: Ranges from 40-220 Mbps, catering to varied business needs.
  • High-Speed Data Transmission: Ideal for data-intensive operations like cloud computing and large file transfers.

Additional Benefits for Businesses

  • Automatic Data Purchase: Option to auto-purchase additional data, providing a seamless internet experience.
  • Transparent Pricing: Clear pricing with no hidden charges, aiding in budget management.
  • Broad Coverage: Satellite-based service ensuring coverage even in remote areas.

The blend of speed, coverage, and pricing transparency makes Starlink Business a compelling option for businesses eyeing robust internet connectivity with a clear cost structure​1​.

Why does a business need Internet anyways?

It may seem like a basic question, but stick with me on this.

Internet for a business is a service that both reduces risk and creates opportunity. For every business there are similarities and differences to what that means.

For example, for any business that holds customer data, the Internet may be used to move that data to an off-site backup location (cloud or hosted) for risk reduction.

That same business may also move customer data to a database that helps make better decisions, adding customer value through artificial intelligence and data-mining.

Both are highly relevant and real scenarios that are enabled by the Internet, and there are endless other examples.

What you could take from this point is that each aspect of your Internet needs can be looked at through these two lenses.

  1. What risks are we reducing by making changes to the Internet infrastructure we have?
  2. What new opportunity is created through better Internet connectivity?

These lenses will help you assess if Starlink Premium is a smart investment…or not.

Starlink Internet is Low Earth Orbit (LEO) residential Internet service provided by a USA based company owned by Elon Musk.

This is different from the Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites that are commonly used by companies like Xplornet, ViaSat, HughesNet, and Telsat. (Although Telsat is moving to LEO as well)

The main difference in a LEO vs a GEO satellite service, is LEO is closer to the earth. If the communication does not have to travel as far, it’s inherently faster. You will see faster download speed, and faster upload speed. 

Faster = better in in Internet world.

Is Starlink Internet fast?

According to PCMag the Current Starlink latency is averaging 39 milliseconds. The reported bandwidth varies, but can be expected to be 150 Mbps download speeds and 15 Mbps upload speeds, or better.

Customers expect service to continually get better with Starlink. My personal experience with Internet service providers (ISP’s) says that might not actually happen. More subscribers means less capacity available for existing customers, which is the oversubscription model, and how satellite/wireless ISP’s make money.

Some users we interviewed speculate the capacity will be used up for Tesla car software updates, and also for uploading the AI data from the cars to the core Tesla learning network.

With new satellites being launched every month, however, the total capacity should continue to increase. They also continue to add base stations, which increases capacity also. 

Oversubscription is a choice, and it’s expected Starlink may choose a better experience over short term profits. This is good news if you’re considering it for your business. 

Changes in Data Caps and Pricing Over Time

The transition from a single tier to three distinct tiers was a strategic move to cater to a broader business audience. The new tiers not only provide options based on data usage but also come with a reduced price for additional data – down from $1/GB to $0.50/GB. This change reflects Starlink Business’s commitment to providing value while maintaining high-quality service.

When compared to a service like cable or fibre-optic based Internet, Starlink is more widely available.

Full availability is unclear. Some of the areas that really need the service do not yet have it, and some of the areas that can get it may have a long waiting list.

While it is technically available or eligible, that does not mean you can get it installed. As mentioned before, the wait lists can be into 2023.

Portability is a feature other services don’t have. Starlink has options to move your Internet wherever you go. This is a technology feature shared only by mobility or cell-based Internet – which has other limitations such as data caps.

For more information on Starlink Roam, Starlink Maritime, and Starlink Mobility, check out out recent articles. 

Compared to business satellite packages in rural and remote Canada, Starlink Business is still a good value compared to business packages from GEO Satellite providers.

If you are using the home Internet package for your business, it’s very affordable, just be mindful you may not get the premium service you expect as a business. 

To learn more about how much Business Internet costs in Canada , read our full guide!

InternetAdvice conducted a survey on Reddit in August 2022 (starlink group) to gain some insight on how Starlink Business is working for some.

The method used was not conclusive or scientifically accurate, but aimed to get a temperature reading on how users like the service.

I come from the Internet Service provider world, and have talked with many business users who use GEO satellite Internet in the past.

In my opinion, the results below are extremely positive.

As a comparison, very few people I’ve ever met would say they are Extremely Happy about their GEO Satellite Internet, where’s Starlink is polling at 25% – I expect it could be even higher.

Below the results you’ll see some of the reasons why it may only be 25%.

There is no phone number to call, but customers on Reddit report overall positive customer support…once you’re a customer. Before you are a customer, if you’re on the waiting list, good luck getting a response.

The reliability of starlink is varied. Customers we spoke with report anything from frequent outages (every 8 minutes) to stable and reliable services (30 days without an outage)

In the spectrum of service reliability, this rates low. I expect this will improve over time.

With the global demand for starlink service, it’s uncertain how long it will take you to get the service. Users in the Starlink Reddit group report 2022 and 2023 delivery dates, and some report their delivery dates moving out later.

Starlink business does include a Static IP address.

Home Starlink does not include a Static IP Address.

If you host anything (website, server, data) at your office, a static IP address helps remote connectivity. If you require Geo-based services, or other location based applications, a static address may be required.

Using their app you can choose a good location for your dish, but if your property has old tall trees, you might need to use a tower mount, and build a tower. This becomes more complicated and expensive.

Business considerations

Now that you understand the technology upsides and downsides, how does that relate to my (your) business?

Now that you understand the technology’s upsides and downsides, how does that relate to my (your) business?

Price

The price (Check Latest Price) is comparable to enterprise-grade business Internet, and comparable to remote GEO satellite business packages.

Users from the survey reported switching from a $700/month GEO satellite package that only gave them 1 Mbps.

Reliability is always the most important factor in my opinion for most businesses. The pain of an internet outage is felt in all areas of the business, and can sometimes have a measurable effect on profitability.

If you are upgrading from GEO satellite like Xplore to a Starlink plan. You might need to adapt your business practice to expect outages, or downgrade to a different solution that keeps the phones live if Starlink goes down.

If your office is in a downtown metro region, you likey have your pick of fibre-optic services from both the major carriers and local ISP’s.

If you run a business in rural or remote Canada, and this is now available to you, it could be a gamechanger for your business.

Our survey confirmed that, 25% reported that it was, in fact, a gamechanger for their business.

Applications like IP Phones and cloud apps will run more smoothly. The issue you may face is, if you rely on that technology, outages will get frustrating.

Sometimes you don’t have 1-2 years to wait for a better service. This is one downside that you can’t avoid, unless you move to a metro center with more options.

Scalability matters to your business if you foresee change in the future. Major change that requires a scale in your Internet access or data use is the number of staff, the amount of data you collect, or the way you interact with clients.

If you are in a remote or underserved area of Canada, this extra bandwidth is a scale you likely have not seen before, but the future is uncertain. Compared to a fibre-optic or microwave wireless service, I do not know what this technology holds for us 3 years from now.

Your team can do large downloads quicker than DSL or smaller wireless packages. This means some significant time savings in some cases. A task that previously took an hour could take 5 minutes. That has a real ROI.

As a business owner, you are always looking at downside risks. In this case, the no-contract feature is a great feature for business.

You can try the service virtually risk-free, with a $3,170 investment and the monthly fee. If you don’t like how the service works, simply cancel and go back to the way things were. Or who knows, maybe by then you’ll have fiber available in your business park.

Conclusion

The business fit for Starlink technology is simple in rural and remote Canada. This is an option to consider when looking for business high speed Internet. 

Today, Starlink can replace or augment a rural business Internet connection, but with the frequent outages and uncertain wait times, it won’t be a good fit for everyone. Our simple advice is to look for a secondary provider to run in parallel, such as DSL, GEO Satellite, or cable Internet , to assure your business never is disconnected.

I hope this article helped you look at different aspects of the Starlink satellite Internet, and you are ready to make a decision for your business.

If you see any errors, or have experienced the service yourself, please leave a comment on your experience!

Related posts:

Starlink Mobile Roam Vs Starlink Residential Plans
Is Business Internet More Reliable?
Business Success: Internet Services & Their Impact on Business
Photo of author

Michael Latymer

Michael is the main author and Editor on the InternetAdvice blog. With a decade of experience under his belt, Michael stands at the forefront of the telecommunications industry. As a Senior Telecom Strategist, Michael has witnessed firsthand the rapid advancements in technology and has been an integral part of pioneering efforts in the adoption of cutting-edge telecom solutions across Canada.

Leave a Comment