Starlink's new V5 dish doesn't support Standby Mode

SpaceX has quietly updated its support documentation to indicate that the newly released Starlink V5 dish is incompatible with the company’s $10 monthly Standby Mode tier. The support page states that Standby Mode is not available for V5 hardware, removing the option for users to switch to the low-speed 0.5Mbps backup internet plan that replaced the previous free pause option.

Owners of the older V4 dish can still switch into Standby Mode as normal, but Starlink has confirmed in an updated support page that the option is not yet available on the new hardware.

Standby Mode was introduced in August 2025 as a paid replacement for Starlink's original free pause feature. Introduced at $5 per month, the fee doubled to $10 in May of this year. It keeps a dish on the network with unlimited data throttled to roughly 500 Kbps, enough for basic messaging and software updates but not for streaming or video calls.

It is available across Roam, Residential, and Priority plans, excluding Enterprise accounts and some promotional offers. Its absence on the V5 at launch means new dish owners currently only have the option to cancel service rather than pause it at reduced cost fully.

The V5 itself is more of a hardware redesign rather than a speed upgrade. It measures 12.05 x 15.12 inches (30.6 x 38.4 cm) and weighs 2.4 lb (1.1 kg), compared with roughly 23.4 x 15.07 inches and 6.4 lb (2.9 kg) for the outgoing V4, cutting the footprint by close to a third and more than halving the weight.

SpaceX says the new terminal also draws significantly less power and runs cooler, which should reduce the thermal throttling some V4 owners have reported in hot climates. Peak download speeds are rated at 375+ Mbps, slightly below the V4's 400+ Mbps, making the V5 a tradeoff of raw speed for size, weight, and efficiency.

The dish is currently listed as available to order for Residential customers in select US regions, with SpaceX stating availability will expand as production ramps up. No trade-in program has been announced for existing V4 owners, and the V4 continues to ship in areas where V5 stock has not yet arrived. International availability has not been scheduled.