Starlink Unveils Limited $80 a Month Plan in 14 States

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2025 – Starlink, Elon Musk’s satellite-delivered Internet service is rolling out a new plan called Residential Lite for $80 a month, a 33% discount on the $120 monthly price for the baseline Residential plan. 

A month ago, Misty Ann Giles, Head of Montana’s ConnectMT broadband office, called Starlink “a luxury option” that “most folks can’t afford.” This new service plan could be the solution to those affordability concerns.

“Starlink ‘Residential Lite’ Service is a more affordable service plan for personal or household-use at a fixed, land-based location in select areas. Users will have an unlimited amount of deprioritized data each month with no long-term contracts,” Starlink said on its website. “There are no data caps and no speed caps. Speeds should range from 50 - 100 Mbps (as compared to 150 - 250 Mbps for the Residential service plan).”

Residential Lite will be deprioritized compared to residential service during peak hours, meaning service speeds may be slow in comparison to Residential service during those times. Furthermore, while Residential service is available across the country, Residential Lite’s availability is restricted to 14 states, including Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire in New England plus 11 Midwest and Big Sky states (including Montana). 

Starlink’s effort on affordability could put pressure on the price umbrella that terrestrial ISPs have been enjoying with their satellite competitor priced at $120 a month. And slashing the price for Lite could cause Wall Street analysts to reexamine concerns about Starlink’s capacity to add customers. 

Politically, Starlink’s price cut for end users comes at a time when Washington, D.C., is likely going to adjust the $42.45 billion BEAD program by shifting funds from fiber to satellite. The full extent of the change likely won’t be known until after NTIA Administrator-designate Arielle Roth has been confirmed by the Senate.