Starlink offers new plan for small boat owners

SpaceX has started inviting select Starlink customers to a new "Personal Maritime" service plan after facing intense backlash from the boating community over recent pricing and roaming restrictions.

Priced at $185 per month, the plan restores extended international roaming capabilities that were recently stripped from standard Roam plans, allowing users to stay online along international coastlines without being forced to return to their home country every 30 days. It also includes unlimited data within territorial waters, defined as up to 12 nautical miles from the coastline.

The new offering specifically targets owners of smaller, personal vessels. According to SpaceX's updated service terms, the Personal Maritime plan is strictly limited to non-commercial boats under 40 feet in length, explicitly excluding yachts, ferries, and commercial fishing vessels.

Eligible users who have previously operated Starlink on the water are receiving email invitations to apply for the plan, a process that requires submitting their vessel's name, flag, length, and official registration documents via a support ticket to prevent abuse of the system.

While the $185 base price offers significant relief compared to the $650 per month Global Priority tier SpaceX previously pushed users toward, the new plan comes with a steep catch for those venturing further offshore. Users sailing beyond 12 nautical miles must opt into "Ocean Mode" for internet access, and SpaceX is simultaneously hiking the cost of this feature from $2 per GB to $6 per GB.

This massive increase for deep-ocean data has triggered mixed reactions across sailing forums and social media, leaving many boaters grateful for a workable coastal solution while lamenting the soaring costs of crossing international waters.