SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell announced at the Satellite 2021 LEO Digital Forum that the cost of a user terminal for the Starlink satellite service was initially $ 3000, but has since been reduced to $ 1500. However, each new Starlink user has to pay only $ 499 for a kit that includes a terminal, a mounting stand and a router.

This means the $ 1000 difference is covered by SpaceX. “We do not charge our customers the full cost of making these terminals.”Shotwell said, noting that SpaceX “Has made great progress in reducing manufacturing costs»Starlink terminals, halving it. According to Shotwell, the company has just released a new version of the terminal, which is $ 200 cheaper, and is expected to reduce its manufacturing cost to several hundred dollars within a year or two.

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Currently, Starlink Better Than Nothing Beta members are required to pay $ 99 a month for Internet access in addition to the above one-time home install kit fees. There is no official data on the number of terminals and beta testers, but in February SpaceX noted that Starlink already has more than 10 thousand users in the United States and abroad.