Curious About Starlink's 'Best Effort' Tier? Early Users Give Rave Reviews

pcmag.com:

Darren Clark lives in Michigan, where he used to receive dismal internet speeds ranging from 2.5Mbps to 3.5Mbps. The DSL internet was so bad he’d have to drive his family elsewhere to find faster broadband and finish software and game downloads. 

“Many times, we ended up going to McDonald’s or out to the local Meijer grocery store for internet access,” he tells PCMag. 

But in recent days, Clark’s home internet is getting speeds between 10Mbps and 100Mbps. The reason? He’s among the first people to try out Starlink's "Best Effort" tier, the latest offering from SpaceX’s satellite internet service. 

“I have to say Starlink Best Effort is a life saver for me and my family,” he says. “My kids are amazed that a 1GB download can finish in a couple of minutes instead of one hour.”

The Best Effort tier is SpaceX’s attempt to address the huge pre-order backlog for Starlink, which has been struggling to meet demand as the network is stretched to capacity. Clark had been on a waitlist since he placed a pre-order on Feb. 8, 2021.

So last month, SpaceX began offering select pre-order customers an alternative in the Best Effort Tier. Users invited to the program can get access to the Starlink network, but at slower download speeds that can range from 5Mbps to 100Mbps—a significant downgrade from the typical 50-200Mbps speeds for the residential Starlink service.

In an email to invited customers, SpaceX added: "Best Effort users will be deprioritized behind Residential users."

Naturally, the announcement caused a bit of consternation since the Best Effort tier charges the same monthly $110 fee as the standard Starlink service. However, PCMag spoke to six early users of the Best Effort Tier, and all said Starlink has been a huge