Satellite internet service Starlink has quietly introduced a one-time congestion charge of $145 for new customers signing up for a residential plan.
The charge is applicable in areas where there are more connections than Starlink may be able to adequately service. WhistleOut has confirmed the congestion charge is currently being applied to addresses in Greater Sydney and Greater Melbourne.
Reports online indicate the congestion charge was first applied in the US and overseas markets between five and six months ago.
Starlink says its intention is to no longer charge this fee to new customers as soon as network capacity improves. Potential customers can sign up for a mailing list that will notify them when the charge has been removed in their area.
If you change your service address or plan at a later date, you may be charged a further congestion fee.
The new charge means the cost of getting Starlink set up at your property could be up to $728. Currently, the standard Starlink kit costs $549 (reduced to $349 until 30 April in regional areas), $139 for the first month's plan fees and $34 in shipping and handling.
Starlink does offer no lock-in contract and a 30-day trial of its hardware. If you change your mind within that trial period you can return the hardware for a full refund.
Satellite services like Starlink or the NBN's Sky Muster are designed to provide an internet connection in regional and remote areas where traditional fibre options like fixed-line NBN or wireless options like Fixed Wireless NBN or 4G and 5G home internet don't exist or aren't sufficient.
For most, there is no reason to even consider using a service like Starlink in a metro area like Greater Sydney. It's more expensive than NBN, has higher upfront costs, and is less reliable. When testing Starlink last year, we found regular dropout issues made taking video calls extremely challenging, for example.
If you're in regional Australia and have found your current service unsatisfactory and are willing to pay the upfront costs, then it might be worth giving Starlink a go.
View Starlink's Residential plans
Editor's note 25/03/2025: We updated this article to clarify how Starlink's 30-day trial offer works.
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These are the most popular NBN 50 plans with WhistleOut users this week:
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#1
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Exetel
Extra-value nbn50
$60.99/mth
Min. cost $60.99
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#2
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Tangerine Telecom
Value Plus NBN
$59.90/mth
Min. cost $59.90
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#3
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Buddy Telco
Editor's Pick
Value nbn - Unlimited
$63/mth
Min. cost $63
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#4
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TPG
nbn50 Unlimited Plan
$69.99/mth
Min. cost $69.99
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#5
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Kogan Internet
Silver Unlimited
$59.90/mth
Min. cost $59.90
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#6
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iiNet
nbn50 Liimitless
$69.99/mth
Min. cost $69.99
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#7
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Dodo
nbn50 Unlimited Plan
$68.90/mth
Min. cost $68.90
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#8
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Superloop
Extra-value nbn50/20
$67/mth
Min. cost $67
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#9
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Telstra
Upfront Internet Plan Essential
$105/mth
Min. cost $105
Link not supplied
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#10
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iPrimus
Standard Plus nbn50 Plan
$84/mth
Min. cost $84
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