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Starlink Introducing Capacity-Based Pricing

Christian

Starlink just announced it will adjust pricing for residential customers. Service will become cheaper in areas the company has extra capacity, and service will become more expensive in capacity-constrained areas.

Here’s the key bit from the email I got last night:

The Starlink monthly service for residential customers is changing as follows:

  • $10 increase in areas with limited capacity. New price will be $120/month.
  • $20 decrease in areas with excess capacity. New price will be $90/month.

As a current customer in an area with limited capacity, your monthly service price will increase to $120/month beginning April 24, 2023. For new customers in your area, the price increase is effective immediately.

While it’s not great to see my bill increasing, I’m glad to see efforts to tie pricing to capacity in different regions.

Whether we’re looking at cell service or residential internet, the level of network congestion in an area can significantly affect the quality of service customers experience.1 In a somewhat convoluted way, congestion also affects the cost of delivering service.

I find it surprising that services tend to be priced as uniformly as they are throughout the country. Moving away from that uniformity probably makes the market more efficient.

Earth from space

Starlink Announces Fair Use Policy

Christian

Starlink just announced that it will implement a Fair Use Policy for residential customers in the US and Canada sometime in December. Here’s the key bit from an email Starlink sent me:

Under the Fair Use policy, all Residential customers will receive unlimited data, and will start each month with Priority Access, which means their data usage will be prioritized during times of network congestion.

Customers who exceed 1 TB of data use on a monthly basis (currently < 10% of users) will automatically be switched to Basic Access for the remainder of the billing cycle, which means their data usage will be deprioritized during times of network congestion, resulting in slower speeds. Data used between 11pm - 7am will not count towards your Priority Access.

I figured a policy like this had to be coming for Starlink’s unlimited plans. It strikes me as a good approach. 1TB is a reasonable allotment, and heavy users still get good speeds when there’s no congestion. The exemption for data use during the lowest-traffic time of day is particularly clever. Folks with a one-off need to download a big piece of software (e.g., an AAA video game) can plan to do that at off-peak hours and avoid burning through a bunch of prioritized data.

Photo representing the concept of "update"

Visible Updates

Christian 1 Comment

Last week, Verizon’s flanker brand, Visible, launched a major update. Previously, Visible offered only one plan. The plan included unlimited minutes, texts, and data. It had a base price of $40 per month, but the price dropped as low as $25 with Visible’s Party Pay program.

With Visible’s latest update, the carrier is retiring Party Pay and offering two plans:

  • Visible’s standard plan: $30 per month
  • Visible+ plan: $45 per month

Standard Plan

Visible’s standard plan includes unlimited minutes, texts, and data. As was the case with Visible’s old plan, data is low priority. Subscribers may experience slower speeds than other users on the network during periods of congestion.

With Visible’s standard plan, subscribers can access Verizon’s LTE and 5G Nationwide services. (5G Nationwide is Verizon’s term for it’s low-frequency 5G service. 5G Nationwide has extensive coverage, but the speeds may fall short of the hype around 5G.)

Visible+

The Visible+ plan has a $15 per month premium and comes with a few extra perks. The first 50GB of data each month is high priority. Additionally, subscribers can access Verizon’s Ultra Wideband service, which offers better performance in some places. Visible+ also includes international texting and calling to some destinations.

Network Improvements?

A common complaint about Visible is that latency with the service can be substantially worse than latency on a Verizon-branded plan. I don’t understand all the details, but Visible has historically had some underlying infrastructure that differs from Verizon’s typical infrastructure. A press release covering the recent changes suggests some improvements are on the way:

Existing members can move to these new plans at any time through their Visible account. A new SIM will be required, as Visible is also expanding coverage and upgrading the core network routing experience in conjunction with these plans, which should provide customers with improved speeds and latency.

Existing Customers

For the moment, existing customers can continue with the old plan and Party Pay rates as low as $25 per month. Here’s another bit from the press release:

Existing Visible members have the option to maintain their Party Pay discount while on their current plan and will have their Party Pay rates locked in based on their Party status as of October 18, 2022.

It looks like Visible will force all subscribers to transition to the new plans (and abandon Party Pay) around the start of 2023.

My Take

While service will increase from $25 to $30 for many users, I think most of these changes are great. Party Pay has always been a bit weird, and part of me is glad to see it going away. Perhaps its retirement will pave the way for Visible offering better options for family plans or combined billing.

While low-priority data is fine for many users, it can be a pain in some regions or for subscribers that want peak performance. I’m glad Visible is giving customers the option of paying up for a better experience.

While I’m unsure what the changes to Visible’s routing system entail, I’m hopefully that between (a) those upgrades, (b) high priority data, and (c) Ultra Wideband access, Visible+ will offer service on par with Verizon’s premium plans.

I’m somewhat surprised that the standard Visible plan doesn’t include access to Verizon’s Ultra Wideband. I expect that will change eventually. Dropping restrictions on who can access Ultra Wideband will lead to more efficient use of Verizon’s network capacity and spectrum. If Verizon wants different tiers of service quality, it can throttle or deprioritize Ultra Wideband service on low-cost plans.

For incoming subscribers wondering whether to choose Visible’s standard plan or Visible+, my advice at the moment is to start with the standard plan. You can always consider upgrading if you regularly find yourself with decent signal strength but lousy speeds.

Hands shaking

Dish Amends Its Agreement With T-Mobile

Christian

While convincing regulators to approve a merger between Sprint and T-Mobile, T-Mobile committed to allowing Dish to offload traffic to T-Mobile’s network for several years. Then, roughly a year ago, Dish announced that it formed a similar agreement allowing the company to piggyback on AT&T’s network.

On Tuesday, Dish announced that it renegotiated the arrangement with T-Mobile. Among other things, the amended agreement involves better pricing for Dish:

DISH Network (NASDAQ:DISH) and T-Mobile (NASDAQ:TMUS) signed an amendment to the 2020 Master Network Services Agreement…The amendment…incorporates financial and operational changes, including improved pricing and enhanced roaming solutions.

The new agreement will need to be approved by regulators. It’s expected to get a green light by the end of the summer.

Mike Dano at Light Reading wrote a more detailed article covering Dish’s announcement. While I don’t entirely trust the numbers, I found this excerpt especially interesting:

New Street analysts wrote in a note to investors Tuesday that Dish paid T-Mobile a little less than $2 billion in 2021 for access to its network, which equates to $17 per subscriber per month, or about $2 per GB. The analysts estimate that Dish’s deal with AT&T is closer to $1.50/GB, with a path to $1/GB over time. They said they believed Dish’s new agreement with T-Mobile is likely in line with its $1.50/GB deal with AT&T.
Paint roller being used to repaint

Visible’s “By Verizon” Rebrand

Christian 1 Comment

Visible, Verizon’s low-cost flanker brand, has been making its connection with Verizon more explicit. Here’s how the Visible logo used to appear on the header of its website:

Recently, the words “by Verizon” have been tacked on:

Visible logo showing the words "by Verizon"

The new branding suggests a change in strategy. Previously, Visible was coy about its relationship with Verizon. That was almost certainly by design. A major carrier doesn’t want its low-cost brands to cannibalize the higher-profit subscribers of the mainstream brand.

While it was never difficult to figure out that Verizon owned Visible, I expect a fair share of the carrier’s subscribers were unaware. With Visible’s relationship to Verizon now in the front and center, Visible may be more appealing to consumers. On the other hand, the rebranding may lead to pressures to create further discrepancies between the service quality received by Visible’s subscribers and Verizon’s direct subscribers.

Image of dollar melting, abstract representation of inflation

Mint Mobile Promo Pokes Fun At Price Increases

Christian

Mint Mobile’s latest promotion pokes fun at carriers raising prices in response to inflation. New Mint Mobile subscribers that take advantage of the promotion can get the first three months of service on any of Mint’s plans for $15 per month.

The promo is set to run through July 5th. Here’s Ryan Reynolds explaining the deal:

Terms for the promo:

Limited time, online only, new customer offer, avail. from 8:00 AM EST on June 15, 2022 through 11:59 PM EST on July 5, 2022, while supplies last & subject to change w/out notice. New subs. may purchase any 3-month data plan from mintmobile.com for equivalent to $15/mo. ($45 upfront payment req’d). Taxes & fees extra. Promotional rate for first 3 months only; discount has no cash value, is non-transferrable & may not be applied to any other purchase or plan length. Unlimited customers using >35GB/mo. will experience lower speeds. Videos stream at ~480p. Addt’l restriction apply.
USA Map Abstract Showing Concept Of Network Connections

Dish’s Project Genesis Expands To 128 Cities

Christian 2 Comments

Today, Project Genesis, Dish’s 5G service powered by the company’s new network, allegedly went live in over 120 cities. Previously, the service was only officially available in Las Vegas.

Here’s the tweet from Stephen Stokols, CEO of Boost Mobile (Boost is owned by Dish):

With service going live in the new cities, Dish is poised to meet a commitment it made with the FCC to cover 20% of the US population by mid-June.

The Project Genesis website has a list of cities where service is available. I don’t know how comprehensively Dish covers the included cities. As of today, service is available in 128 cities by Dish’s counting:

  • Albuquerque, NM
  • Altoona, IA
  • Ann Arbor, MI
  • Asheville, NC
  • Bay City, MI
  • Bellevue, NE
  • Bentonville, AR
  • Binghamton, NY
  • Boise, ID
  • Bowling Green, KY
  • Brooksville, FL
  • Brownsville, TX
  • Carson City, NV
  • Cary, NC
  • Casper, WY
  • Champaign, IL
  • Charlotte, NC
  • Chattanooga, TN
  • Chester, VA
  • Cheyenne, WY
  • Chicopee, MA
  • Clarksville, TN
  • Cleveland, OH
  • Cocoa Beach, FL
  • Columbus, OH
  • Concord, NC
  • Corpus Christi, TX
  • Dallas, TX
  • Davenport, IA
  • Daytona Beach, FL
  • Denton, TX
  • Des Moines, IA
  • Duluth, MN
  • Eagle, ID
  • Elmira, NY
  • El Paso, TX
  • Evansville, IN
  • Fayetteville, AR
  • Flagstaff, AZ
  • Flint, MI
  • Fond du Lac, WI
  • Fort Smith, AR
  • Fresno, CA
  • Ft Worth, TX
  • Gadsden, AL
  • Grand Junction, CO
  • Greensboro, NC
  • Gulfport, MS
  • Harrisonburg, VA
  • Hartford, CT
  • Hattiesburg, MS
  • Henderson, NV
  • Hendersonville, TN
  • High Point, NC
  • Hot Springs, AR
  • Houston, TX
  • Huntsville, AL
  • Indianapolis, IN
  • Ithaca, NY
  • Jackson, MI
  • Jackson, MS
  • Kansas City, KS
  • Johnson City, TN
  • Johnstown, PA
  • Kingsport, TN
  • Knoxville, TN
  • Lansing, MI
  • Las Vegas, NV
  • Lawton, OK
  • Lexington, KY
  • Lincoln, NE
  • Little Rock, AR
  • Louisville, KY
  • McAllen,TX
  • Mechanicsville, VA
  • Merced, CA
  • Meridian, ID
  • Middletown, CT
  • Midland, MI
  • Midlothian, VA
  • Modesto, CA
  • Murfreesboro, TN
  • Nashville, TN
  • New Braunfels, TX
  • Norfolk, VA
  • Ocala, FL
  • Ogden, UT
  • Oklahoma City, OK
  • Omaha, NE
  • Orlando, FL
  • Palm Bay, FL
  • Petersburg, VA
  • Pine Bluff, AR
  • Prescott, AZ
  • Provo, UT
  • Pueblo, CO
  • Raleigh-Durham, NC
  • Rapid City, SD
  • Reno, NV
  • Richmond, VA
  • Rochester, MN
  • Rochester, NY
  • Saginaw, MI
  • Salt Lake City, UT
  • Sioux Falls, SD
  • Sparks, NV
  • Spokane, WA
  • Springfield, IL
  • Springfield, MA
  • Springfield, MO
  • St Joseph, MO
  • St. Louis, MO
  • Stockton, CA
  • Suffolk, VA
  • Superior, WI
  • Syracuse, NY
  • Texas City, TX
  • Tulsa, OK
  • Tuscaloosa, AL
  • Urbandale, IA
  • Utica, NY
  • Valdosta, GA
  • Victoria, TX
  • Virginia Beach, VA
  • Wildwood, FL
  • Williamsburg, VA
  • Winter Garden, FL
  • Yuma, AZ

US Mobile Adds Wi-Fi Calling

Christian 2 Comments

Last week, US Mobile added Wi-Fi calling to its Super LTE (i.e., Verizon) service. I thought the lack of Wi-Fi calling on Verizon’s network was one of US Mobile’s biggest limitations, so I’m glad to see the new feature coming online.

Subscribers on the Super LTE network with US Mobile’s Pooled Plans and Unlimited All Plans can access Wi-Fi calling immediately. Wi-Fi calling hasn’t been launched yet for US Mobile’s Bundled Plans or Custom Plans on the Super LTE network.

Here’s an excerpt from US Mobile’s announcement on Reddit:

WiFi Calling will be rolling out to all Unlimited All and Pooled Plan customers beginning today.

WiFi Calling has been the most requested feature by our customers bar none…Every US Mobile customer can now make & take calls and send & receive texts using WiFi, even if your phone has no cellular reception or bars. That dramatically changes how our customers should think about coverage.

WiFi Calling also transforms your traveling experience — you can now use WiFi Calling to call and text while abroad using your number with no extra charges, international roaming for free! And if you’re on a flight and need to log-in with 2FA to your bank (or to your US Mobile app), you can just use your in-flight WiFi to connect on the go…

As for our Bundled and Custom plan customers on our Warp 5G network, expect to see WiFi Calling come online soon.

Earth from space

Starlink Premium Announced

Christian

Starlink just announced Starlink Premium. The new service will deliver faster speeds and use a different dish than the standard Starlink service. Starlink says the premium service may deliver download speeds between 150 and 500Mbps (roughly double the typical speeds with Starlink’s conventional service). Improvements in latency are not expected.

While the standard Starlink service requires a $500 upfront payment for a dish and $100 per month for service, the new dish costs $2500 and service costs $500 per month. Starlink Premium is available for pre-order now with a $500 deposit.

Timelines & Multiple-Dish Accounts

Here’s what Starlink says on its main webpage about Starlink Premium:

Starlink Premium has more than double the antenna capability of Starlink, delivering faster internet speeds and higher throughput for the highest demand users, including businesses. Order now to reserve, deliveries start in Q2 2022.

There’s a long waitlist for Starlink’s conventional service. The opportunity to skip that waitlist may be a big selling point for potential Premium subscribers.

In an FAQ entry, Starlink mentions that the subscribers with the Premium service may manage several Starlinks from a centralized account:

Starlink Premium delivers the same low latency with higher throughput allocation to serve small offices of 10-20 users, storefronts, and residential locations across the globe. Order as many Starlinks as needed, manage all of your service locations from a single account, and access 24/7 priority customer support.