Starlink Sets High-Speed Data Cap at 1TB Per Month, Lowers Advertised Speeds

SpaceX quietly revealed the plan to cap residential Starlink service by publishing a “Fair Use Policy” for the popular satellite internet service. The document says residential Starlink subscribers in the US will receive 1TB worth of “Priority Access” per month. The company has also uploaded the same fair use policy for subscribers in Canada. Once the cap is exceeded, the subscriber will be relegated to “Basic Access,” meaning SpaceX can begin throttling speeds if necessary, to reduce network congestion. “For Residential Service Plans, your data usage will only count toward the Priority Access data limits described in the chart below from 7 AM to 11 PM (Peak Hours),” the document adds. The change will most affect data-hungry customers living in congested areas already full of existing Starlink subscribers. SpaceX didn't reveal expected speeds for Basic Access. But the document warns: “In times of network congestion, users with Basic Access may experience slower speeds and reduced performance compared to Priority Access, which may result in degradation or unavailability of certain third-party services or applications. Bandwidth-intensive applications, such as streaming videos, are most likely to be impacted.” Still, residential subscribers can receive more Priority Access — if they pay. SpaceX is going to charge customers $0.25 for each additional GB downloaded over the higher speed tier. To track their monthly data usage and opt-in for the additional Priority Access, customers will be able to tap the Starlink app and the company's customer portal page.