One of the UK’s first AUTHORIZED STARLINK™ INSTALLERS.
One of the UK’s first AUTHORIZED STARLINK™ INSTALLERS.
Starlink Roam will always have you covered- if you are an avid road-tripper but don’t like to feel disconnected in remote areas with limited or non-existed coverage. When you have your highly portable Starlink dish with you, you can connect to the Starlink satellites from virtually anywhere in the world.
In this guide to Starlink Roam, we will cover everything you need to know, including initial costs, monthly costs, how the transportable satellite broadband service works, who can benefit from the service, and the speeds you can expect. As this is an impartial view of the service, this article will also cover the potential limitations.
Starlink Roam was previously known as Starlink RV, as the service is no longer solely marketed towards people who live and travel in motorhomes due to the newly introduced global roaming service, which allows you to stay connected to the Starlink satellites no matter where you are in the world, it made sense for SpaceX to rebrand with its new, flashier, and more inclusive name.
Knowing that not all their customers will want to take advantage of the global roaming capabilities of Starlink Roam, SpaceX offers two packages; a regional roaming service (which is similar to the Starlink RV service) and a global roaming service, which will remain active as you explore multiple continents.
Even though the 4,000 Starlink satellites in Lower Earth Orbit currently cover all corners of the Earth, access to the service is still subject to regulatory approval. At the time of writing, Starlink Roam is not available to users travelling to Russia, China, and Iran.
Users will also struggle to stay connected in Asia and parts of South America. The best coverage is provided in the UK, mainland Europe, Australia, and America; you can check the coverage status of countries and continents via the Starlink Availability Map, indicating when coverage will become available or improve.
Whichever Roam service you opt for, you will receive a Starlink hardware kit consisting of a satellite dish, router, satellite dish stand and cables. For regional customers planning on staying on their own continent, there is also the option to upgrade and acquire the Flat High-Performance Hardware, which comes at a premium price.
For residential UK customers, the standard Starlink Roam hardware costs £460, including VAT. To stay connected as you travel through Europe, the monthly service fee is £95.
For global roaming monthly fees, the Starlink website advises to get in contact with the Starlink support team.
For businesses, the monthly fees are significantly higher at £150, £300, or £900 for 1TB, 2TB, or 6TB packages, respectively. The cost of the hardware is also pricier; it costs £2,410 to purchase the high-performance hardware package.
You can read more about Starlink costs in our price guide.
If you frequently travel internationally for business or pleasure, the Starlink Global Roaming package is easily justifiable, especially if you can’t put a price on the ability to work remotely and staying connected everywhere your travels takes you.
Compared to traditional broadband services, it is expensive, but as there are no alternative providers which provide high speeds and low latency broadband that you can take around the world with you if it suits your needs cost-effectively, it can be a wise investment.
If you need to pause your travel plans or plan on staying at home for an extended period, you can pause the service or customise your services at any time, as you will be billed in monthly increments. When you are ready to resume your plan, you can pick up where you left off with Starlink at no additional cost.
Even though Starlink Global Roaming services are available and fully accessible to domestic users, the main target market is businesses, such as non-profit organisations, which operate in several locations internationally. It is far more likely that the regional packages are most suited to domestic users who travel across their home country or continent in motorhomes.
Quite disappointingly, the roaming Starlink speeds aren’t as fast as the broadband speeds for residential and business customers. Both global and regional roaming services are deprioritised on the network; however, this should only be an issue when network congestion occurs.
Field tests have shown that, on average, the download speeds are 5 – 50 Mbps, and the upload speeds are 2 – 10 Mbps. For perspective, the average UK upload speed is 10.7 Mbps, and the average download speeds are 86.5 Mbps.
While Starlink can often be accused of diminishing connectivity issues in their marketing material, the SpaceX-owned company is fairly candid in its warning that roaming, especially global roaming customers, should expect to experience higher latency and service interruptions. However, this won’t be forever. Starlink is continuously adding to its constellation of satellites in Lower Earth Orbit; with more active satellites in space, performance and reliability will markedly improve.
The best way to get started as a Roaming user of Starlink is by visiting the company’s official website, where you will find the various packages and hardware options available to you.
If you are unsure which package would serve you best, the Starlink customer care team will be happy to help you pick out the right hardware and package. The hardware is also available to purchase via several reputable UK retailers, including John Lewis & Partners and B&Q.
If you place an order as a new customer on the Starlink website, billing will start 14 days after your order has been shipped. If the service isn’t to your satisfaction, you can request a full refund within 30 days from the delivery date.
If you need to switch between regional and global roaming or pause your plan, this can be done effortlessly on the Starlink account portal.
For customers who want to cross their home continent while never worrying about internet connection, the regional roaming service is second to none.
On the other hand, the global services will undoubtedly benefit businesses and professionals who frequently internationally travel to destinations with sub-par broadband infrastructures. However, the global roaming service is far from as global as Starlink implies; you only need to look at the availability map to see there is plenty of work to be done before you will be covered in all corners of the globe.
Whether or not the price is justifiable entirely depends on your connectivity needs, travel plans, and if there are any cheaper solutions which will keep you covered as you travel.
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