Little-known broadband alternative is about to become even more tempting as price drops – but there’s a catch

HOUSEHOLDS fed up with sluggish broadband may finally have a cheaper alternative within sight.

Billionaire Elon Musk, 52, has been beaming internet into homes via satellite for a few years now with his Starlink service.

ReutersMusk’s SpaceX company runs Starlink satellite internet[/caption]

It’s the same critical tech that was rushed to Ukraine as the country fought to stay connected during the ongoing war against Russia.

The only snag is that the satellite-based alternative is very expensive compared to traditional broadband providers.

Currently, you have to pay £75 / $120 USD per month for the Standard plan.

But it appears Starlink is exploring a cheaper package.

A new “Deprioritized” service plan has emerged in New Zealand, according to ISPreview.

This reportedly costs just $79 NZD per month, which is just over £38 / $45 USD.

But as the name suggests, it comes with some limitations.

Firstly, it’s only available at a valid location in New Zealand and it must be a fixed, land-based spot (so no travelling around with it in your car).

Users will have an unlimited amount of Standard data each month with no long-term contracts or commitments.

However, it will be deprioritised over Standard service during peak hours.

“This means that speeds may be slower for Deprioritized Service relative to Standard Service when our network has the most users online,” the firm explains.

This should mean that speeds range from 50 – 100 Mbps, compared to 150 – 250 Mbps with Standard, which is still faster than some people currently receive in rural areas.

Households frustrated with their existing broadband are eager to find out whether the service will be rolled out to other countries.

“Is there any chance @Starlink might extend the new cheap Deprioritized Service Plan, which currently only exists in New Zealand, to the United Kingdom?” one user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“This would be a huge help to remote rural homes on lower incomes.”

Another wrote: “Would be wonderful if this came to the US!”

There are other broadband alternatives around, such as 5G home broadband – read The Sun’s review of Vodafone’s service.

Starlink customers just need a tiny dish to receive the serviceAlamy