Starlink 2023 Expansion: What SpaceX Has in Store

About Starlink 2023 Expansion, As SpaceX continues to expand its borders, we expect a lot in 2023 regarding its revenues and internet service.  Starlink’s 2023 expansion will double its revenue from $4 billion in 2022 …

Starlink 2023 Expansion

About Starlink 2023 Expansion, As SpaceX continues to expand its borders, we expect a lot in 2023 regarding its revenues and internet service. 

Starlink’s 2023 expansion will double its revenue from $4 billion in 2022 to $8 billion.

Suppose Starlink’s 2023 expansion succeeds in its revenue forecast; 75% of the 2023 revenues will be derived from service subscriptions and 25 from hardware sales. 

Let’s look deeper into Starlink’s 2023 expansion goals.

Table of Contents

Starlink is fast evolving; as a result, there will be a series of changes in 2023. Here are the changes evidenced and expected.

We expect the Starlink base to double active subscribers from about 1.1 million in January 2023 to 2.2 million by the end of December 2023. 

This will be possible through hardware discounts, active countries’ capacity expansion, and new distribution channels. 

For example, Starlink offers residential subscribers standard-grade user terminals at $150 in rural Canada.

The majority are residential users, which make up 85%, followed by business plan subscribers making up around 10% to 15%. The rest are RV, Marine and Aviation users. 

Starlink started to expand its distribution channel to support its growth. 

The company is partnering with big box retailers and value-added service providers. 

It has secured distribution deals with over 15 retail chains and major maritime VSAT providers worldwide to offer broader and global coverage.

Chain RetailMaritime Value AddedService Provider
NameRegionNameRegion
Best Buy USAMarlink Global
Home DepotUSAElconeGlobal, MENA
WinegardUSASpeedcastGlobal
B&QUKTampnetEuropean & North America
John LewisUKCastor MarineGlobal
CurrysUKIEC Telecom GroupGlobal
Noel LeemingNew ZealandAnuvuGlobal
The WarehouseNew ZealandNSSLGlobalGlobal
FNACFrance/BelgiumTototheo MarineGlobal
DigitecSwitzerlandNavarinoGlobal
DartyFranceAageHampel (C&T)Global
CoolblueNetherlandsGrupo ArbuluGlobal
Office WorksAustraliaKVHGlobal
Harvey NormanAustraliaAdvanced TrackingGlobal
MediamaktGermany & NetherlandsVia Direta TelecomGlobal

To make things better, Starlink is offering two terminal types

> Standard terminal ( 513 mm x 303 mm ) at $600

>High-performance terminal ( 575 mm x 511 mm ) at $2,500

There are rumors of a smaller terminal, but there’s no specific timeline for its release. Direct current can power these Starlink terminals, but you can do DIY modifications with cable cutting and splicing.

SpaceX plans to launch around 42,000 Starlink satellites in space for global coverage. 

At this time, the company has already launched more than 4,000 satellites and expects 12,000 by December 2023. 

Currently, Starlink internet services are available in regions like Canada, the United States, Australia etc. 

We expect the coverage to grow massively in the upcoming months, making the service accessible to more people worldwide. 

If you want coverage in your location, visit our website for more information on Starlink availability.

Starlink satellite view at night.

Starlink satellite view at night.

A year after Starlink launched the residential service, its pricing increased from $ 99 to $110 monthly. 

This year the service implemented a new pricing structure where users in limited capacity areas have to pay$ 120 monthly since April to new customers.

However, in areas with excess capacity in the United States, Starlink has reduced service charges for residential plans to $ 90 monthly, offering a $ 20 discount compared to the previous price.

 It remains unclear how frequently areas switch between excess and unlimited capacity and whether users with portability can move their service address to an area with the excess ability to enjoy the 30% discount.

No More Portability

Starlink removed the users’ ability to add portability to their residential service accounts. 

Fortunately, customers who have turned on portability will keep it, but if you remove it, you lose a chance to re-add it.

 The change caught most users off guard, and they wished Starlink should commit more to notifying customers before changes.

Currently, Starlink offers five service options, including Residential, Business, RV, Maritime and Aviation. 

You can use Standard residential or High-Performance dishes for RV purposes. Here is a summary of what to expect from each service. 

Cost per monthExpected download and upload speedslatencyPrioritized dataPortabilityIn motion
Residential$90 – $120 based on capacity20-100/5-1 5 MBPS25-50 ms
RV$ 1505-50/ 2-10Mbps25-50 msX -withHP terminal
Business$50040-220/8-25 Mbps25-50ms
Maritime$5,00060-250/10-30 Mbps25-50msxx
Original Starlink round dish at the rooftop. 

Original Starlink round dish at the rooftop. 

Service Changes

Starlink has been going through several changes over time. Recently they introduced a 1 Terabyte priority data that is very helpful during peak hours.

 After the priority access cap, residential traffic isn’t throttled, only lower priority. Business and maritime traffic are throttled down to 1 Mbps up and down.

 Maritime’s priority cap is set to five terabytes. The company doesn’t specify the monthly data cap for the $5th.

Final Thought

In 2023, Starlink plans to double its revenue to $8 billion through expansion efforts. They aim to have 2.2 million active subscribers, with the majority in the residential segment. 

The service will also improve in several other areas, including but not limited to coverage, distribution channels, and affordability.