The Starlink Juggernaut For Boaters

A baby sea otter flops onto our swim platform, breaking the stillness of the sheltered cove in the San Juan Islands, north of Washington’s Puget Sound, where we dropped the hook last evening. His mother keeps an eye on him as he rests while I settle into the flybridge of our Sabreline 36, sipping tea and catching up on emails from my tablet. My wife, who I affectionately call Green, is at the dinette table in the saloon with her laptop on a Zoom call for work. There isn’t a cell tower to be found near this anchorage, which is only a few miles from Canada and accessible only by boat. So how are we able to enjoy the pleasures of being so remote while also staying connected?

Starlink internet has proved a game-changer for many recreational boaters, offering us continuous, fast internet service globally through a network of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites. A wholly owned subsidiary of SpaceX, a privately held company owned by Elon Musk, Starlink uses Falcon 9 rockets to place a constellation of 9- by 5-foot, 573-pound satellites into orbit, each moving at 17,000 miles per hour and continuously orbiting Earth every 90 minutes. Small flat-panel antennas connect with the satellites as they pass by, providing internet.

Launched in November 2020, the system now has more than 5 million users and 7,000-plus satellites circling approximately 350 miles above Earth. This low orbit is needed because, when the high-frequency Starlink signal travels shorter distances, it can provide high-speed internet with minimal lag, allowing real-time applications like video conferencing and online gaming to function properly.

The shorter distance between users on the ground and the satellites also helps reduce the power needed for signals from the device to reach space, meaning smaller antennas and smaller devices (including cellphones) can use Starlink. T-Mobile currently offers beta testing to select users that allows texting via Starlink in limited areas that have no other connectivity. Potentially, this means you could use a cellphone to text through Starlink even while offshore. Imagine being able to text home details of your offshore passage and get weather reports while underway, or get medical advice on your cellphone while awaiting assistance in a remote area. T-Mobile is the only U.S. carrier currently offering Starlink connection, but we expect handheld device service to expand.

As Starlink usership grows, the system needs more capacity, otherwise internet speeds for everyone slow down. Right now, Starlink provides near-continuous global service (though some countries don’t allow it). The system is currently approved for 12,000 satellites; Starlink envisions a constellation of 40,000 or more.

Dividing The Pie

Finding the right Starlink setup for the type of boating you do is part of the decision-making process. Remember, this is a changing system. Whatever rules, pricing, hardware availability, and usage plans there are now may not be the same in the future. In fact, it changed at least once while I was in the process of writing this article. Internet speeds and coverage also vary depending on hardware, location, and number of users on the system.

Recent reports show that Starlink is adding around 10,000 new users each day. That equates to millions of new users each year, potentially clogging up and slowing down service until enough new satellites are launched to compensate. Because of that rapid growth, Starlink allocates access using different tiers of service: the more expensive Priority Service and the cheaper Standard Service. Starlink plans change without much notice, and before this article was filed, the company announced changes effective April 1, 2025, the details of which had not been fully released.

Priority service has two tiers: Local for land-based users and Global for ocean users. Local Priority now prohibits coastal coverage and use in territorial waters, so Global Priority is the only priority service currently available for boaters.

Priority Service is exactly what it sounds like: Users are given network precedence over customers on Standard plans. They also receive faster internet speeds within their allocated block of purchased data (download 40 to 220 Mbps/upload 8 to 25-plus Mbps with less than 99 Ms latency). Once the Priority high-speed data is consumed, Unlimited slower data (1 Mbps download and up to 0.5 Mbps upload) kicks in. If Priority users want additional faster speeds, they can purchase extra data or have extra data packs turn on automatically once their plan data is used. A Flat High-Performance Kit for Global Priority service currently costs $1,499, and monthly data plans are $250 (50 GB); $650 (500GB); $1,150 (1 TB); $2,150 (2 TB). Users can then add blocks of high-speed data for $100 (50 GB); or $500 (500 GB) that can be purchased online or set to turn on automatically.

For those of us who stay within 12 nautical miles of the coast, Standard Service using one of Starlink’s Roam plans is more cost-effective. Standard/Roam Service doesn’t guarantee you speed though, especially if you’re near Priority users who are sucking up the bandwidth. But the entry level and data plans are far more reasonable. A Standard Kit currently costs $349 and a Mini Kit $499. Standard service with a Roam monthly plan of 50 GB is $50; Unlimited Roam, $165. There is talk of new, less expensive 10- and 20 GB Standard packages being offered in some areas, but they don’t seem to be available where I am now.

With Standard Service, realize you’re not a priority, especially if you’re parked next to a cruise ship (some have a dozen or more Starlink systems) or near a city with lots of users, and your signal will be degraded. Think of it like a large water pipe, but you have access only to a small spigot toward the end. If there’s a lot of water flow at the beginning, and not that many users are diverting water off into their larger priority pipes, you get good flow. When a lot of other users are accessing the same pipe, including Priority users taking large quantities, your standard service can slow to a trickle.

Despite knowingly being at the end of this proverbial pipe, the allure of Unlimited Service pulled me in. I work remotely and routinely transfer large files with images and videos, and we have two 20-something boys who like to stream video on board. Paying for Unlimited Roam means we don’t have to worry about going over a data cap. Plus, with the Roam packages, currently we can turn our service on and off on a monthly basis and only pay the monthly fee when we’re actively cruising.

How's The Service

In the Pacific Northwest where we typically cruise, the speed and reliability of Starlink Standard Service on our boat has been excellent. It varies, but download speeds usually exceed 100 Mbps and have reached over 200 Mbps. Upload speeds have ranged from the upper lower digits to around 18 Mbps. These speeds are fast enough for what we do on board. Internet service has been consistent, and we’ve been able to get connected in places that our previous land-based systems couldn’t. We’ve streamed movies, and my wife, who needs to be on many Zoom and Teams calls for her work, hasn’t had problems.

I tried the Mini Kit side-by-side with the Standard Kit. While it delivers slightly slower speeds, the convenience of the Mini’s compact design and built-in router are enticing. The Mini fit easily in my backpack when I carried it on a plane, used it on a hotel deck at the Annapolis Boat Show, and then aboard my friend’s sailboat on a delivery from Massachusetts to Maine. Currently, Unlimited Roam Service is available in some areas on the Mini, but only after activating service. Had it been when I bought my Standard Kit, I probably would have opted for the Mini. The Wi-Fi 6 router in the Standard Kit is exceptional as I can stay connected to the system far down the dock. The Mini’s router has less range but still worked well.

Cruising in the Pacific Northwest is normally inland or adjacent to land areas between the mainland of Washington and Canada to the east and Vancouver Island to the west. Starlink currently considers this area inland waters, including up the Inside Passage to southeast Alaska. So presently you don’t need Priority Service when cruising here. They also changed the rules, so Roam Service now allows in-motion use at speeds above 8 knots, where it was previously limited. To see if Standard Mobile Roam coverage is adequate in your cruising area check the Starlink website.