SpaceX might not be lowering the cost of Starlink's expensive internet package anytime soon, following Elon Musk explaining that reducing the price is a “technical challenge” in itself. Starlink's goal of providing internet to almost every part of the world certainly sounds promising, but its steep asking price is likely to prove less appealing to many consumers.
With hundreds of satellites already launched into low Earth orbit, the program aims to bring worldwide internet coverage to more places, including rural areas. Besides, the $99 per month access cost, the biggest price hurdle is the Starlink kit. Priced at $500, this kit includes the terminal needed to connect to the internet. While SpaceX is already delivering these kits to Starlink beta participants in North America, the service is expected to eventually become available in other countries as well.
While providing consistent internet coverage on a global scale might seem like a daunting task, SpaceX's CEO also sees the process of lowering the Starlink kit's price as an additional challenge. When a Twitter user defended Starlink by stating that it is “low and affordable,” Musk responded, explaining that lowering the cost was the company's “most difficult technical challenge.” Some Twitter users were puzzled by Musk's revelation asking how lowering its price was deemed more difficult than creating the world's largest constellation of satellites, while others made it known they are still hoping for a lower price.
Starlink's Rapid Progress Comes At A Price
It's no secret that Starlink is a program that requires a lot of resources to come together, especially now that thousands more beta invites are expected to go out by the end of the week. This would require SpaceX to provide that much more hardware and increase its work load in the hope of getting satisfactory initial feedback from the rising number of beta testers. Of course, that doesn't mean SpaceX isn't seeing some promising results from its Starlink program already.
In fact, some beta testers are already claiming that Starlink does work surprisingly well in areas with zero reception. Leaked Starlink internet speed tests suggest that the performance and overall speed is even higher than expected. At this rate, Starlink is already showing a lot of potential, even though it is still in the early stages. However, if providing internet to every inch of the globe is still a primary long-term goal, making the internet cost affordable for every demographic will also need to be a top Starlink priority.
Source: Elon Musk Twitter