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A Starlink groundstation for just $200?

New Zealand is extremely well-served by its internet infrastructure.

The UFB fibre network delivers super-fast broadband to a good percentage of New Zealand homes and has revolutionised the way we access information and entertainment.

Gone are the irritating days when aging copper would see even the best modems struggling to deliver multi-megabit per second speeds using ADSL technology. Today "it just works" and the tiny slivers of glass that run beneath our feet seem to be all but immune to the effects of water and temperature.

However, high-speed internet access can still be a problem for those living outside reaches of the UFB network.

They're either still putting up with the inconsistencies, low speed and reliabilty hassles associated with copper or they're face the variability and cost of cellular data services.

So today I was quite surprised to see an offer from StarLink.

We're so close to April 1st that I was a little concerned this may be a joke but...

According to the Starlink website, they're offering an 80 percent discount to rural users for the intial purchase of the hardware required.

Instead of the usual $1K price, new rural users can get the ground-station and accessories for just $200.

That's a pretty good deal IMHO, if you don't have the option of fibre where you live.

No, this isn't a sponsored post, that's not an affiliate link, nor is there any other benefit to me in bringing this to anyone's attention but it does seem such a remarkably good offer that I felt it worth mentioning.

The fly in the ointment however, could be the way Starlink is changing its datacaps and data pricing. Originally the service was uncapped and offered extremely good throughputs but already we've seen caps added and some users (around the world) are reporting a reduction in speeds at times of peak consumption.

So why would Starlink offer such a cracker deal?

Well as I said at the start of today's column, New Zealand is extremely well-served by the UFB network and thanks to the likes of Spark (who are keen to sidestep the charges that Chorus impose) we also have a proliferation of wireless options at reasonable prices. This must mean that it's a tough market for the likes of Starlink to get much of a toe-hold in.

I also would wonder whether Starlink sees an opportunity to tap into the Rural Broadband funding that is on offer from the taxpayer. A cool $2K per installation would more than offset the $800 discount currently on offer.

This must surely put pressure on some of the other rural broadband providers and it will be interesting to see how they respond.

It would be a great idea for isolated rural communities to invest in a Starlink groundstation at these prices so as to help mitigate the effect of things like the recent ex-tropical cyclone that destroyed connectivity in such areas. Such a backup would not only be convenient but it might also be life-saving.

I know that if I were living in the countryside, beyond the reach of fibre, I'd probably leap at this offer, if only to provide a backup to the data service I was presently using.

How many Aardvark readers are considering throwing $200 at Elon in light of this offer?

Carpe Diem folks!

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