Starlink, in its ever-lasting effort to get more customers into its ecosystem, has just completely overhauled its website (see title image above).
Their new website is now clearly separating Starlink’s available internet plans into Personal and Business.
Each of the tiers now contains substantially more information, likely to ease the customer’s purchasing decision.
The landing page for the Residential option, for example, now lists all the available accessories subscribers can purchase.
This is little surprising given that Starlink recently made Residential available across the entirety of the US, which likely will lead to an onslaught of new customers.
What’s far more interesting is the new Boat section, though. For the longest time, private boaters were using the Roam option – until Starlink finally rained on their parade.
Roam was then effectively replaced with Mobile Priority, which now received a dedicated consumer landing page with the following available tiers:
That said, the Business section, which you can access on the top right of your screen, still lists the Maritime and Mobility plans.
Another interesting change took place on the landing page for Aviation. Starlink is now specifically targeting jets, more precisely those made by Bombardier and Golfstream.
This makes sense given that
- Starlink had a successful POC test with JSX (which uses Embraer jets), which should ease the sales process
- The business case for those flying private is much more apparent (e.g., allowing them to continue working on-board)
- Many commercial airlines, such as Delta or Qatar, remain tied up in contractual relations with Starlink competitor Gogo
Now, while these are all fairly interesting nuggets, the biggest change has certainly been the official introduction of Starlink’s direct-to-cell service.
Starlink previously entered into agreements with various mobile network operators, including T-Mobile in the US, Rogers in Canada, or Optus in Australia.
Now, Starlink claims that text service will be made available starting in 2024 while voice and data as well as connecting IoT devices is due for 2025.
The direct-to-cell service is made possible by so-called eNodeB modems, which are installed onboard its satellites and act as a quasi-cellphone tower in space.
This means that competitors such as AST SpaceMobile, which recently conducted the first call from space, will certainly have to step up their game if they want to compete against the behemoth that are SpaceX and Starlink.
Let me know in the comment section: what do you think of the redesign? Is the website easier or harder to navigate now?