In 2020, the United States federal government awarded Elon Musk’s spaceflight company, SpaceX, with US$885.5 million to launch Starlink, a satellite company, to create a faster and more reliable Internet service option for rural households.

It succeeded. Starlink, now a subsidiary of Musk’s SpaceX business, provides satellite Internet access to 40 countries, this is according to Siliconcaribe.com.

Starlink got the green light to operate in Jamaica in early October, making its first entry into the Caribbean market and becoming the third satellite broadband company in the island.

Meanwhile, users in some markets where Starlink offers services have been reporting fee cuts since October.

The Jamaica Observer reached out to the company’s news unit, news@elonmusk.org, for an update on the Jamaica market, querying office location, rates and hardware delivery times, but no response was received up to press time.

Its office location in Jamaica is unknown. However, its operational centre globally is Hawthorne in California.

SpaceX has some 2,700 satellites in the global network, with a monthly base price of US$110 to more than 400,000 subscribers. The company also aims for global mobile phone service after 2023.

In mid-October the subsidiary began reducing usage rates across markets. According to reporting at www.the-sun.com, while there has been no official announcement, the company has cited “local market conditions” as the reasoning behind their move in e-mail to users. They added in their e-mail that the price reduction is also meant to “reflect parity in purchasing power across our customers”.

For users in the Netherlands, the price has been lowered from €124 ($124) to €105 ($105). From customer tweets, the Starlink Internet bill in Germany went down from €99 to €80. Another user from Chile tweeted that their Starlink monthly price is being reduced from 92,000 to 47,000 Chilean pesos (or US$52).

Sun.com said that in the US, some users revealed that their new bill is US$85 (down from US$110)

Starlink’s website still displays a monthly subscription price of $110 — plus a one-time $599 fee for the hardware kit.

Commentators note that Starlink is no longer in its beta phase, which means nearly anyone in the world can now sign up for Starlink’s Internet service. Starlink technology uses low-orbit satellites which reduce latency, allowing access in formerly inaccessible rural areas.

The company reported in August 2021 that it now serves over 900,000 people across the world.

There is one problem however, as it is being said that customers who signed up in 2021 will likely not receive service until 2022 or 2023.

On its website, the company is now offering a free 30-day trial, offering that a full refund will be made if hardware is returned due to dissatisfaction.

It is also advertising portability as a new service, meaning subscribers can bring their service with them wherever there is active Internet access.