After a terrestrial-only offering, Starlink is now proposing to equip boats. Starlink is a satellite communications system that offers a much higher throughput than anything previously available. Instead of operating with a network of geostationary satellites 36,000 km from the earth, the Starlink satellite network is only 550 km from the earth. To provide complete coverage, this network will ultimately comprise 42,000 satellites! Which is not without complications when it comes to collision management...
With this network, the latency time is very short, of the order of 50 ms, which means the connection is very fast. The result is faster than a terrestrial 5G network. So you can video-conference at sea, or even play video games. Just like at home!
And at what price?
The purchase price for the complete installation is quite high, since the antenna and its Wifi router cost 2826 euros for the initial purchase, at the 2023 rate. It's a flat rectangular antenna measuring 50 x 30 cm. For a good installation, this antenna needs to be able to "see the sky". It must not be masked by guy wires or other equipment on a sailboat. Note that this antenna must be supplied with a 230 V power supply. A converter is therefore essential.
Subscription options
In 2023, three monthly subscription packages are available:
- 50 GB: 287 euros/month
- 1 TB: 1128 euros/month
- 5 TB: 5656 euros/month
The most expensive formulas are designed for ship owners who want to monitor their fleet of boats. For yachtsmen, the 50 GB package will suffice. For those who don't sail continuously, you can activate or deactivate the subscription at any time. Once installed, an IOS or Android application lets you take control of Starlink via Wifi and benefit from broadband on board.
