Starlink Mini brings satellite Internet to the road less traveled

For travelers who have been bit by the wanderlust bug and want to stay connected, there's now a portable Starlink Mini.

Current Starlink satellite customers received an email last week about the smaller version of the Standard Starlink antenna, designed to "easily fit in a backpack." Starlink Minis are available on a limited release for $599 each, which is "$100 more than the base model 'Standard' antenna sold with its Residential service," reported CNBC.

The "Mini Roam" Internet service, which includes 50GB of data, is available in the US for $150 monthly, which is an additional $30 to the required $150 Residential service. Additional data costs $1 per gigabyte, said CNBC.

That price could drop. In the email to customers posted by Sawyer Merritt on X, Starlink said it plans to reduce the price of Starlink, in particular for those "around the world where connectivity has been unaffordable or completely unavailable."

(Source: Michael Nicolls, SpaceX) Speedtest of Starlink Mini from Michael Nicolls, VP of Starlink Engineering at SpaceX. Posted to X on June 20, 2024.

The Starlink Mini is nearly half the size of the Standard Starlink antenna, about the size of a laptop (16.92 x 13.14 x 3.11 in.), and weighs around 3 lbs. It includes a built-in WiFi router, DC power input, max download speeds over 100 Mbit/s and can connect up to 128 devices.

"This product will change the world," said Starlink founder Elon Musk in a post to X. He added that the Starlink Mini can be set up in under 5 minutes and has 23ms of latency.

The Starlink Mini also uses less power than its Standard counterpart, reported The Verge.

"Notably, the Mini kit consumes an average of just 20-40W compared to the 33-62W we measured just two years ago with a Standard Actuated dish and separate AC-powered Wi-Fi router," according to The Verge.

Deliveries of the Starlink Mini in the US begin next month. The Mini is currently available in Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Panama. In addition, there aren't data or speed caps in those countries, and it can be purchased with Mini Service or Mobile - Regional Service plans, said The Verge.

Last week, Comcast Business announced a partnership with Starlink, enabling its enterprise customers, especially those with locations in rural areas, to connect to Starlink's LEO satellite network, reported Light Reading's Jeff Baumgartner.

Light Reading's Mike Dano reported in May that SpaceX said T-Mobile's direct-to-cell service will launch commercially this fall in the US.

"The service promises to potentially connect all of T-Mobile's customers to SpaceX's Starlink satellites in areas where the operator does not offer terrestrial coverage, regardless of the users' phones. That could potentially eliminate all of T-Mobile's outdoor dead zones," wrote Dano.