Current Events > Starlink adds a 1TB monthly soft cap to residential users

(+) Yeah! (+)

https://techcrunch.com/2022/11/04/starlink-adds-a-1tb-monthly-soft-cap-for-residential-users/

SpaceXs Starlink internet has included unlimited bandwidth since launch, and while the service will technically continue to provide that to customers, users who exceed 1TB of data use in a single month will now be throttled once they reach that threshold.

Starlink sent out an email to users across the U.S. and Canada on Friday outlining the new so-called Fair Use policy, which describes how residential users will start out each month with Priority Access, and then continue to receive coverage with Basic Access for the remainder of the monthly billing period if they cross that 1TB threshold.

Basic Access means that theyll get deprioritized in terms of use, meaning theyll get slower speeds than Priority Access customers when theres heavy use on the network. Starlink also notes that data used between off-peak times, specifically between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., wont be counted toward that 1TB monthly Priority bucket.

The company is also introducing data use monitoring via user account pages so people can track how close they are to the soft cap.

Third-party network analytics firm Ookla noted that Starlinks media speeds decreased in every country where it is currently available during the past year. Ookla cites user growth and the primary reason behind the overall decline. Starlink is clearly looking to improve the situation by limiting high-volume users, which it says represents less than 10% of its current subscriber base.

that's 171 hours of 4k streaming, to put in perspective. you could 1080p stream 24/7 the entire month and not exceed 1tb.

i dont think i could use that much data tbh.

Robot2600 posted...

that's 171 hours of 4k streaming, to put in perspective. you could 1080p stream 24/7 the entire month and not exceed 1tb.

i dont think i could use that much data tbh.

Just download Black Ops, Destiny 2, WoW, and FFXIV and you'll be damn close.

ChocoboMogALT posted...

Just download Black Ops, Destiny 2, WoW, and FFXIV and you'll be damn close.

that's what i worry the most. wanting that unlimited i think i use more than 1TB per month between 2 people.
lately my download usage has been low because i haven't progressed on many games, been working on binding of isaac.

plan to slow down once i get all completion marks or i get bored trying to go for them (leaving tainted cain, tainted lost and the lost for last).

ChocoboMogALT posted...

Just download Black Ops, Destiny 2, WoW, and FFXIV and you'll be damn close.

You do that every month?

Melzargard posted...

You do that every month?

You don't have a yearly limit of 12 TB, you have a monthly limit of 1 TB.
If you buy new computers for yourself and your spouse you spend a ton if data just redownloading crap. New games come out for game systems with huge day 1 downloads.

Data caps are generally kinda dumb. If you spend 3 days downloading a ton of stuff but go down to moderate usage after, you're punished because your downloads were at the start of the billing cycle. It's not like you're expending a finite resource.

Starlink also notes that data used between off-peak times, specifically between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m., wont be counted toward that 1TB monthly Priority bucket.

Silver lining I guess. Just do all the big boi downloading during those times.

And so it begins.

Robot2600 posted...

that's 171 hours of 4k streaming, to put in perspective. you could 1080p stream 24/7 the entire month and not exceed 1tb.

i dont think i could use that much data tbh.

Many households have more than 1 person doing stuff concurrently online. For a family of 4, that is not much.

A quick Google tells me Starlink is $110 a month with a 1 time $600 hardware cost...for satellite internet?

Wtf?

Did satellite internet suddenly stop sucking or something?

Robot2600 posted...

that's 171 hours of 4k streaming, to put in perspective. you could 1080p stream 24/7 the entire month and not exceed 1tb.

i dont think i could use that much data tbh.

I use that data easily especially now with WFH where I am effectively streaming 24/7 with multiple RDP servers.

Melzargard posted...

You do that every month?

Heavy Game Pass users could definitely blow through that much data a month trying new games.

Throttling is not technically unlimited

I could see going through that by maybe cloud playing MS Flight Sim 2022 with everything turned on. 24/7

I would love a 1TB cap before a throttle,mine is currently at 25GB.

MrKapowski posted...

A quick Google tells me Starlink is $110 a month with a 1 time $600 hardware cost...for satellite internet?

Wtf?

Did satellite internet suddenly stop sucking or something?

Starlink is between 70-300mb/s downloads (it varies moment to moment based on environmental factors), 20-50mb/s uploads and 30-50ms latency. Its quite good, and its even viable for online gaming if the netcode is good (looking at you, guilty gear strive). It is the only good satellite internet, because it uses low orbit satellites (closer to earth) instead of high orbit, and theres a fuck ton of them up there so the can ramp the speeds up

all good points but i dont think comcast, cox, or anyone else offers more than 1tb for a regular internet package, do they?

dont get me wrong, fuck these companies.

Robot2600 posted...

that's 171 hours of 4k streaming, to put in perspective. you could 1080p stream 24/7 the entire month and not exceed 1tb.

i dont think i could use that much data tbh.

Console games often have fucking patches that are 50gb now

Data limits should not exist

Robot2600 posted...

all good points but i dont think comcast, cox, or anyone else offers more than 1tb for a regular internet package, do they?

dont get me wrong, fuck these companies.

No caps with FiOS

Robot2600 posted...

all good points but i dont think comcast, cox, or anyone else offers more than 1tb for a regular internet package, do they?

dont get me wrong, fuck these companies.

Cox used to be 1 TB but increased it to 1.25 TB

Robot2600 posted...

all good points but i dont think comcast, cox, or anyone else offers more than 1tb for a regular internet package, do they?

dont get me wrong, fuck these companies.

I have no caps on spectrum but competition is fierce here.

I also have no caps on mobile data but I rarely use more than a few GBs anyway.

Trumpo posted...

No caps with FiOS

They do. It's 4 TB 2-3 months in a row.

glad im grandfathered into gig fiber with no caps on AT&T for only 40/month

Robot2600 posted...

all good points but i dont think comcast, cox, or anyone else offers more than 1tb for a regular internet package, do they?

dont get me wrong, fuck these companies.

Xfinity tried to put in a cap in 2021 in the Northeast, but lawmakers got them to back down because of COVID. It was supposed to be 1.2 TB a month unless you rented a Wi-Fi router from them. Its still up in the air when they will try to enforce it.

Cuticrusader09 posted...

Xfinity tried to put in a cap in 2021 in the Northeast, but lawmakers got them to back down because of COVID. It was supposed to be 1.2 TB a month unless you rented a Wi-Fi router from them. Its still up in the air when they will try to enforce it.

Shit, Xfinity doesn't make you use their own supplied modem/router? Insane.

should be infinity, they make it sound like data is soooooo scarce. oh no we're almost out DATA u guys! uh oh better pay for more data...

Robot2600 posted...

that's 171 hours of 4k streaming, to put in perspective. you could 1080p stream 24/7 the entire month and not exceed 1tb.

i dont think i could use that much data tbh.

If it's one person using it, it should usually be fine, but that changes if you have multiple people in one household.

Bio1590 posted...

Shit, Xfinity doesn't make you use their own supplied modem/router? Insane.

Iirc you always have the option of buying your own modem but they won't support it or send a tech to your house if you do.

MrKapowski posted...

$110 a month

if i lived in the boonies it's viable cost (last resort) but not so much with a 600$ upfront cost.

when i had to get hughesnet for a few years it was a 200$ upfront cost and 80$ a month for worse internet.

of course just like my isp or any isp fuck elon and the horse he rode in on

I go through a TB in like 4 days

Son_Of_Spam posted...

Heavy Game Pass users could definitely blow through that much data a month trying new games.

Just schedule your downloads from 11 pm - 7 am.

Not hard

kingdrake2 posted...

hughesnet

Yeah I'm well aware of shitty satellite internet