Starlink Australia

What is Starlink?

Starlink is a private satellite internet service launched by Elon Musk's aerospace company, SpaceX.

SpaceX plans to have thousands of low-Earth satellites forming a global cluster capable of delivering internet services to just about any spot on the planet.

It aims to eventually provide high-speed broadband to customers worldwide who can't get a decent internet connection from existing technologies.

• Why this matters: There are potentially faster internet speeds up for grabs for Australians living in regional and rural areas, where you're more likely to be on NBN satellite or fixed wireless with lacklustre speeds.

How does Starlink work?

Starlink operates through a network of low-Earth orbit satellites that bounce signals from your equipment back to ground stations on earth, completing a broadband connection.

Because Starlink satellites are closer to the earth than other satellite services, the signals should take less time to reach them. This in turn should give households a faster connection.

As of February 2023, SpaceX has launched more than 3,800 Starlink satellites in orbit. It has permission to deploy 12,000 more and hopes to seek further approval for another 30,000 satellites.

Where is Starlink available in Australia?

Starlink launched in Australia in April 2021, specifically focusing trial efforts in northern Victoria and southern New South Wales.

It has since expanded to 20 Starlink ground stations in the country and the company says most people around the states and territories can access its services.

Here's a look at Starlink's coverage map for Australia.

Alternatively, you can head to Starlink's website and enter your address to see if it's accessible at your property.

How much does Starlink cost in Australia?

Residential Starlink plans in Australia cost $139 per month for unlimited data.

However, you’ll need to buy or rent hardware to access the services. Your options include:

• Paying $549 upfront or $299 for refurbished hardware
• Renting the hardware for $19 a month

How much is Starlink for businesses?

Starlink offers a couple of other plans that are better suited to businesses or high-demand users.

Starlink Priority

This will suit businesses that are based in just one location. The monthly price will depend on the priority data limit you choose.
After that runs out, you’ll have access to unlimited standard data.

• Priority 40GB: $230 per month
• Priority 1TB: $374 per month
• Priority 2TB: $748 per month
• Hardware: $3,740

You also get a public IP, network priority and priority support.

Starlink Mobile Priority

This plan caters to mobile businesses or is best suited for maritime, emergency response.

Some of the features are similar to Starlink Priority such as network priority and priority support.

A key difference is you get access to a global service in motion with unlimited global data inland, plus ocean use.

You can expect to pay:

• Mobile Priority 50GB: $374 per month
• Mobile Priority 1TB: $748 per month
• Mobile Priority 5TB: $1,486 per month
• Hardware: $7,433

How fast is Starlink internet in Australia?

Starlink's download speeds range between 20Mbps and 100Mbps on its Standard (Fixed) plan, with a latency of 25ms–60ms and upload speeds of 5Mbps–10Mbps.

Its Priority (Fixed) and Mobile Priority plan can attain download speeds of 40-220Mbps and upload speeds of 8-25Mbps.

Guidelines for Mobile Mobility download and upload speeds are 5-50Mbps and 2-10Mbps respectively.

According to Ookla's Q3 and Q4 report for 2022, Starlink users in Australia experienced median download speeds of 106.43Mbps. This has slightly improved from Q2 median download speeds of 102.76Mbps.

Upload speeds and latency were clocked at 10.45Mbps and 49ms respectively.

Is Starlink cheaper than the NBN?

If we're looking at starting prices, satellite NBN comes out cheaper than Starlink.

Prices for satellite NBN start at $34.95 per month for a data-capped plan. Starlink costs $139 per month for unlimited data. It’s the only residential plan available.

Equipment for the NBN is provided for free by NBN Co. All you have to do is pay for a modem when you sign up for a plan. Depending on the provider, this can cost you anywhere from $60 to $200.

On the opposite side, Starlink hardware costs $599 but you also have the option to rent it for $19 a month.

We’ve stacked up Starlink again NBN satellite’s cheapest unlimited data plan for a more apples-to-apples comparison.

Sky Muster NBN caps out at 25Mbps and frequently comes with data caps that vary between peak and off-peak hours, making things a bit more complicated for users. Meanwhile, Starlink offers up to 200Mbps and unlimited data on its NBN plan. That's a massive win for Starlink and why paying more for its services could be enticing.

So while the NBN is the cheaper option of the 2, it's not totally fair to compare them side by side because their inclusions differ so wildly.

• The bottom line: Depending on which NBN technology is available at your house, Starlink could be a better bet in terms of reliable speed. However, this speed comes at a steeper cost than signing up for an NBN plan.

Is Starlink faster than the NBN?

This depends on which NBN technology you're looking at. Overall, Starlink compares well to NBN on speed, just not as well on price.

Starlink vs fixed-line NBN speeds

For some NBN customers, especially those on lower quality FTTN connections, Starlink's claim of up to 200Mbps offers much faster speeds than their NBN providers can offer.

In fact, it's faster than the maximum speed of a fixed-line NBN 100 plan.

Keep in mind that faster NBN plans do exist (NBN 250 and NBN 1000) but are currently limited to FTTP and some HFC connection types and are not widely available just yet. If you're lucky enough to have access to them, your average speeds will be faster than Starlink.

However, your latency – the time taken for signals to reach a server – will mostly be higher on Starlink compared to a fixed-line connection since the satellites are further away. High latency can be a problem for video conferencing and especially online gaming.

Starlink vs wireless NBN speed

Starlink always did better than NBN Sky Muster satellite on speeds until NBN launched a new roster of uncapped plans.

Now you can get better than the usual speed limits of 25Mbps.

It follows a similar plan structure to NBN fixed-line plans with its own version of NBN 25, NBN 50 and NBN 100 plans available.

The main caveat is typical evening speeds (what you get during peak hours) aren’t as fast and download speeds can be a bit unstable depending on factors such as network congestion and weather conditions.

Starlink is a superior choice here, offering faster, more reliable speeds than NBN satellite, complete with unlimited data.

Is Starlink faster than 5G?

Based on numbers, 5G technology is definitely faster than Starlink. You can get around 300Mbps median speeds in Australia, but Telstra does its customers one better by offering up to 600Mbps at peak times.

Both Starlink and 5G home internet seem like good alternatives to those struggling with slow fixed-line NBN connections. However, it's tricky to compare the 2 technology types as they solve different issues.

For example, Starlink is well-suited to those living in regional or rural areas where options for a good internet connection are limited. 5G home internet offers faster speeds to densely populated areas.

The best option for you will largely depend on your location and how strong 5G coverage is in your area.

Is Starlink worth it in Australia?

While NBN Co is upgrading homes across Australia to fibre connections and raising potential speeds, Starlink is a better bet for speed at the moment, especially if you live outside metropolitan areas.

However, if you have a stricter budget, an uncapped NBN satellite plan is also a good option.

Frequently asked questions

• Can I cancel my Starlink order?

  You can cancel your Starlink order through the customer account portal and get a full refund within 30 days of it being shipped. After 30 days, you can still cancel, but won't get any refund on equipment, shipping or plan fees.

• How can I check my Starlink coverage?

  You can enter your address on Starlink's website to see if it services your area. It's also a good idea to download the Starlink app on Google Play or the Apple Store to find the best installation location for the satellite dish.

• What happens to my Starlink plan if I move house?

  Starlink's portability feature allows you to relocate your internet kit and services to another property within your continent. However, you will need to enable the feature by paying a monthly fee. This can be disabled anytime.

• Will I be able to see SpaceX satellites from Australia?

  You don't need to worry about your view of the night sky being blocked. Low-Earth orbit satellites are too far away to be seen by the naked eye, but will still appear on long-exposure images taken by astronomers and seen through telescopes.

Written by

Mariam Gabaji

Senior Utilities Editor & Tech Expert

Mariam Gabaji is a journalist with 13 years of experience, specialising in consumer topics like mobile services and energy costs. Her work appears in the ABC, Yahoo Finance, 9News, The Guardian, SBS, 7News, A Current Affair and Money Magazine. Mariam holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and was a finalist for the 2024 IT Journalism Award for Best Telecommunications Journalist. See full bio

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