Starlink charges $10 monthly hardware fee in move away from one-time purchases
Starlink charges $10 monthly hardware fee in move away from one-time purchases
星链（Starlink）开始收取每月 10 美元的硬件租赁费，不再强制一次性购买
Starlink has started charging a $10 monthly rental fee for hardware in a shift away from its longtime practice of selling hardware to customers for a one-time charge. Starlink residential ordering pages now show an upfront hardware cost of $0 and a monthly kit fee of $10, similar to the hardware rental fees long charged by cable and telecom companies. 星链已开始对其硬件收取每月 10 美元的租赁费，这标志着该公司放弃了长期以来向客户一次性出售硬件的做法。星链的住宅服务订购页面现在显示，硬件预付成本为 0 美元，每月套件租赁费为 10 美元，这与有线电视和电信公司长期收取的硬件租赁费类似。
Starlink hardware includes a terminal to receive satellite signals and a router to place in a user’s home. The monthly kit fee is in addition to Internet service prices, which Starlink recently raised by $5 to $10 per month. Starlink is charging $55 a month for 100Mbps, $85 for 200Mbps, and $130 for the “Max” tier that can go up to 400Mbps. 星链硬件包括一个用于接收卫星信号的终端和一个放置在用户家中的路由器。每月套件租赁费是在互联网服务价格之外额外收取的，而星链最近已将服务费每月上调了 5 至 10 美元。目前，星链 100Mbps 速率的月费为 55 美元，200Mbps 为 85 美元，最高可达 400Mbps 的“Max”套餐则为 130 美元。
Starlink also provides a professional-installation service for a one-time fee of $199, or for no additional charge if you subscribe to the Max plan. A Starlink support article said hardware rental is now “in select countries” and that “Starlink kits may only be rented for Residential service plans.” Customers who rent Starlink hardware instead of owning it will not be allowed to pause their service. 星链还提供一次性收费 199 美元的专业安装服务，如果订阅“Max”套餐则无需额外付费。星链的一篇支持文章称，硬件租赁目前“仅在部分国家/地区”推行，且“星链套件仅适用于住宅服务计划的租赁”。选择租赁而非购买星链硬件的客户将无法暂停其服务。
PCMag reported today that the $10 rental fee “appears to be rolling out globally, popping up on Starlink.com for new customers in the US, Canada, the UK, France, Australia, and Mexico.” We did not see any option to buy hardware in the Starlink sign-up page today, but the support article said it is possible to switch from renting to buying. “If you are a current Starlink customer with the rent Starlink option and would like to purchase your kit, create a support ticket,” the support article said. Starlink kits are also sold by retailers. PCMag 今日报道称，这 10 美元的租赁费“似乎正在全球范围内推广，已在美国、加拿大、英国、法国、澳大利亚和墨西哥的新客户页面上出现”。我们今天在星链注册页面上没有看到任何购买硬件的选项，但支持文章指出，用户可以从租赁转为购买。“如果您是当前的星链租赁用户并希望购买您的套件，请提交工单，”支持文章写道。此外，星链套件也通过零售商进行销售。
Starlink launched with $499 hardware fee
星链推出时硬件费用为 499 美元
Starlink charged $499 up front for hardware when it launched in 2020 and has since changed the price a few times and offered various time-limited promotions and deals that were available only in certain regions. The price was raised to $599 in 2022, and in 2024, it was replaced with regional pricing of $499 or $299, depending on local network congestion. Last year, Starlink offered the satellite dish and Wi-Fi router for free in parts of the US and other countries to customers who signed up for a 12-month commitment. There was a pretty big caveat, as a plan with free hardware cost $120 a month while the same plan paired with a $349 hardware purchase cost $90 a month. Another offer a couple of months ago also included free hardware in some areas. 星链于 2020 年推出时，硬件预付费用为 499 美元。此后，该价格经过多次调整，并提供过各种仅在特定地区有效的限时促销和优惠。2022 年，价格上调至 599 美元；2024 年，价格改为根据当地网络拥堵情况而定的 499 美元或 299 美元。去年，星链在美国部分地区和其他国家向签署 12 个月合约的客户免费提供卫星天线和 Wi-Fi 路由器。但有一个很大的前提条件：免费硬件套餐的月费为 120 美元，而购买 349 美元硬件的同类套餐月费仅为 90 美元。几个月前的另一项优惠活动也在部分地区包含了免费硬件。
We can’t predict how long the $10 monthly rental fee will stick around given Starlink’s history of changing prices, region-specific offers, and time-limited discounts. Starlink may continue to experiment with different prices as it tries to maximize revenue for SpaceX, which is set to go public on Friday. The Starlink division already accounted for $3.26 billion of SpaceX’s company-wide revenue of $4.69 billion in the first three months of 2026. 鉴于星链在价格调整、地区性优惠和限时折扣方面的历史，我们无法预测每月 10 美元的租赁费会持续多久。星链可能会继续尝试不同的定价策略，以最大限度地提高 SpaceX 的收入，而 SpaceX 定于周五上市。在 2026 年的前三个月，星链部门的收入已占 SpaceX 公司总收入 46.9 亿美元中的 32.6 亿美元。
PCMag notes that you can save money in the long run by buying the router from a retailer. “Over the long term, the $10 monthly fee isn’t a great deal, either, since it means forking over $360 during a three-year subscription,” the article said. “The standard dish currently retails for $349 at retailers such as Best Buy and Walmart, but it’s been discounted to $199 or even $89.” If you order new service on Starlink.com and already have a Starlink kit, you can avoid the rental fee by entering a device identifier number during the checkout process. PCMag 指出，从长远来看，从零售商处购买路由器可以节省开支。“从长远来看，每月 10 美元的费用并不划算，因为这意味着在三年的订阅期内要支付 360 美元，”文章称。“标准天线目前在百思买（Best Buy）和沃尔玛（Walmart）等零售商处的零售价为 349 美元，但有时会打折至 199 美元甚至 89 美元。”如果您在 Starlink.com 订购新服务且已经拥有星链套件，则可以在结账过程中输入设备识别码以避免支付租赁费。