SpaceX is upgrading some Starlink Best Effort customers to the service’s Residential plan, entirely free of cost (via Reddit).
Starlink Best Effort is a lower-speed service option from Starlink for customers stuck in the company’s pre-order backlog. The Residential plan, meanwhile, delivers priority service at higher speeds. Both subscription tiers use the same hardware and cost the same, at $110 per month.
“Your Starlink service plan has been upgraded from Best Effort to Residential,” SpaceX said in an email to customers who are eligible for the free upgrade. “With Residential you will receive prioritized service, resulting in improved speeds, particularly during times of network congestion. There is no change in your monthly service price or additional cost for this upgrade.”
Reddit user RocksteadyBetty received the free upgrade earlier this week in Ontario, Canada.
“This upgrade is made possible through the introduction of Starlink’s higher performing satellites, SpaceX’s faster launch rate, and the continuous deployment of software features to optimize the Starlink network,” SpaceX continued.
Last month, SpaceX launched its first batch of next-generation Starlink “V2 Mini” satellites. SpaceX last week also launched two rockets just four hours apart — the company’s fastest launch cadence to date.
“Since October 2020, the Starlink team has enabled over 1 million customers across 60 markets. Thank you for being an early supporter of Starlink – enjoy your upgraded service!” the email concluded. Starlink hit one million active subscribers late last year.
While there has been no official confirmation from SpaceX, one Reddit user speculated that existing Best Effort customers are being prioritized for Residential connections over pre-order holders still in the queue.
