Starlink to introduce 1TB data cap

[PaulBates]

In a sign that their service is becoming more saturated as they mature, Starlink will introduce a 1TB cap next month, during a peak "Priority Window' 7am to 11pm. Much like mobile providers, the service will 'slow down' during the Priority Window after 1TB is consumed.

Let's be clear, 1TB is a lot of data, and the most ardent streamers will have to work hard to get there. Like mobile and cable data caps, they're targeting the ~10% of their user base that somehow manage to use this much. Most remote workers using VPN or Citrix likely could never hit this cap.

What's not clear: how timezones play into the Priority Window calculation, eg if I have the fixed location service is it the timezone of that address, on the road?

Read more here:

https://www.xda-developers.com/starlink-will-introduce-a-data-cap-starting-in-december/

 

[SpencerPJ]

The only ones this seems to affect are hard time gamers, oh well.

 

[Skookum]

We are under 1TB every month but we’ve noticed the service bogs hard at peak times now.

I hope Starlink can find a way to maintain its previous quality of service and/or launch more satellites.

TMobile keeps saying their home internet service is “coming soon” to our area. We we’ve been on a waiting list for 2 years… so goes living in an area underserved by broadband.

 

[Kevin Means]

We received the same email from Starlink last night. The email sent to us said (in bold print) "Based on your data usage over the last six months, this policy will have no impact on your service."

We have a fixed Residential Starlink system at home, and an RV Starlink system that we use in our motorhome. The Starlink email said, Residential Starlink systems will get "priority service", on a month-to-month basis, until one terabyte of data is consumed, then it will be de-prioritized. They don't say exactly how much they'll deprioritize the data rate, but as a possible frame of reference, our RV Starlink system is always deprioritized, and we've never had a problem streaming HD shows, or getting high speed internet service.

Kev

 

[PaulBates]

…..
I hope Starlink can find a way to maintain its previous quality of service and/or launch more satellites.…

Wireless network performance of any kind ebb and flow based on user counts and capacity. I went through this with gogo in flight wifi before retiring. I never would have called it great.. sometimes good, sometime eh, sometimes . My approach when leaving the client on Thursday; I’d have files (downloaded) on my laptop ready to work before boarding my flights with no assumption of having a network... usual best case was I could Skype/Teams/Hangout message my colleges over gogo.

No doubt these networks are better than nothing, but it may be a few years before the kinks are worked out and its closer to fiber or cable.

 

[LarsMac]

Well, with all the gaming and movie watching we have been doing, I don't think we have hit a TB, yet.

 

[stripit]

I noticed a slight slow down in the rv park we are in now. I had the dish sitting on the ground, decided to raise it up and put it on a pole. Seems to have increased the speed, don't know why but I'll take any speed increase. Love the Starlink system.

 

[Isaac-1]

Just to put some perspective here 1TB is on the order of 400 hours of 1080P streaming video, or about 80-100 hours of streaming 4K video.

 

[Larry N.]

And with 168 hours in a week...