SpaceX's Starlink Tackles Pre-Order Backlog With 'Best Effort' Tier
Still waiting for Starlink, even though you ordered it months or even over a year ago?
In some good news, SpaceX is starting to selectively offer some pre-order customers access to the Starlink satellite internet service. But internet speeds will be slower than normal.
On Monday night, the company began emailing(Opens in a new window) some US customers about its new "Best Effort" service option, which is arriving for people living in areas already full of existing Starlink users.
“For those with urgent connectivity needs, we are offering a Best Effort service option,” according to the email, which was posted(Opens in a new window) on Reddit. “Best Effort enables typical internet activity with the understanding that Best Effort users will be deprioritized behind Residential users.”
The email notes that people may have to wait until “mid-2023” before SpaceX has enough capacity to offer them standard residential Starlink service, which can receive download speeds between 50Mbps and 200Mbps. So in the meantime, the company is offering the Best Effort tier to address the pre-order backlog.
The official Starlink support page(Opens in a new window) has also been updated to mention the Best Effort tier. “Best Effort uses the same hardware as Residential and the monthly ($110) service charge is the same, but unlike Residential, Best Effort users will have the option to pause service.”
Pre-order users who subscribe for the Best Effort tier also won’t lose their spot in line for the standard residential Starlink plan. “If you would like to maintain your place in line, but no longer wish to use Best Effort service, we recommend to hold on to your Starlink hardware and pause service to not be charged. You can un-pause at any
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