During Q2 2025, Starlink restructured its business service plan options, transitioning from the previous Priority and Mobile Priority plans to a more nuanced system based on usage locale. This change aims to better serve various customer needs, and understanding the changes implemented by Starlink is essential for making informed decisions about your connectivity service.
Differentiating Local and Global Priority Services
Starlink’s Local Priority Service Plans are designed for usage within a country’s borders, including lakes and rivers. This plan can be deployed at fixed locations or mobile setups, such as vehicles and inland waterways. It is ideal for fixed sites, or in-country logistics vehicles or in-land ferries. Customers can use the service within their country or for up to 60 consecutive days in a nearby location outside their service address. Once a user’s allocated Priority Data (e.g., 1TB) is consumed, users can continue with unlimited non-priority data at throttled speeds of up to 1 Mbps for downloads and 0.5 Mbps for uploads.
In contrast, Global Priority Service Plans cater to users engaging in global or oceanic activities, including coastal and territorial waters. This is ideal for ocean-going vessels, transatlantic cargo ships, and offshore energy operations. Similar to the Local plan, after reaching the data limit, customers can access unlimited non-priority data at the previously referenced speed rates.
A critical distinction is that Global Priority Data can be utilized at sea, while Local Priority Data requires government approval for the country of use and is restricted to local territorial waters. For further details, refer to the Starlink Coverage Map.
Cost Considerations and Plan Structures
Local Priority Plans are typically more cost-effective than Global Priority Plans, but this can vary depending on use case and unique customer requirements. For customers utilizing multiple Starlink terminals to enhance coverage—especially on the same vehicle or vessel—Global Priority plans allow for up to two terminals per service line. In contrast, Local Priority customers must maintain separate plans for each terminal. Starlink has also introduced a new Terminal Access Charge, which is charged per plan, per month. This Terminal Access Charge is included in Starlink’s monthly charges.
It is important to be aware that the unlimited data option, capping at 1 Mbps download and 0.5 Mbps upload, may affect the overall connectivity experience at your remote site. For context, one minute of streaming music consumes approximately 1 MB, while standard-definition video streaming can use around 7 MB per minute. To avoid unexpected data limitations, customers have the option to opt in to additional priority data, commonly known as overage fees. For instance, if you exceed your allocated data, a 50GB block can be automatically added to your service line. Check out our recent Decoding Data Usage blog on how to choose the right data plan for your operations.
Consistent High-Speed Service
Starlink customers will continue to receive priority, high-speed services tailored for businesses and high-demand users. Both Local and Global Priority plans ensure network precedence over Residential Standard or Roam Data plans.
Customers using Starlink internet through Speedcast can easily monitor their data usage and even manage their opt-in / opt-out options via the Speedcast Compass Customer Portal. This user-friendly platform helps manage monthly data and avoid overages, ensuring that costs align with budget expectations. Speedcast customers also enjoy the flexibility to upgrade their services mid-month, unlike direct Starlink customers who can only adjust at the beginning of the month.
Enhancements and Service Guarantees
Starlink now offers a service level agreement (SLA) of 99.9% uptime for Local and Global Priority plans, with credits available for failures to meet this SLA in some circumstances. Additionally, customers can no longer suspend their service, but both Local Priority and Global Priority customers can pause or deactivate their Starlink kits temporarily.
Optimizing Your Starlink Experience
For enterprise customers, reliable internet access is crucial. Speedcast provides fully managed services tailored to your unique needs, including options not available directly from Starlink. Our Sales and Technical teams are ready to assist you in implementing a connectivity solution that meets your remote site needs. And with more than 12,000 Starlink kits under our operation, customers can look to Speedcast to help navigate Starlink plan selections too.
For organizations with high-demand applications, consider Speedcast’s SIGMA intelligent edge platform, which centralizes network management and orchestration at scale. This innovative solution enhances performance and reduces costs by processing data at the edge, allowing for more efficient management of network services at the application level. SIGMA also integrates multiple connectivity paths to your remote site, delivering high availability service without the worry of overages when data limits on a single connectivity path are reached.
Navigating the new Starlink Priority Plans can seem daunting, but understanding these options is key to optimizing your connectivity. At Speedcast, we are committed to helping you find the right solutions tailored to your needs.
Contact us today to discuss how we can enhance your Starlink experience and support your business objectives.