SpaceX is developing a new Starlink dish designed to deliver gigabit internet speeds to customers, marking a substantial leap from the current 200Mbps service most users experience today. New dish device was revealed during a webinar for Starlink resellers, according to a source familiar with the presentation.
Current Starlink users won’t automatically benefit from these gigabit speeds. Planned performance boost will require customers to purchase the new dish device, as existing equipment isn’t built to support the additional radio bands necessary for gigabit connectivity.
The speed enhancement is tied to SpaceX’s broader constellation upgrade strategy, which depends on two critical factors: FCC approval for spectrum usage and successful deployment of V3 Starlink satellites via the company’s Starship launch vehicle, SpaceX is looking to match its initial request for nearly 30k Gen2 satellites.
SpaceX Starlink Gen2 Satellites
SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell outlined these improvements last November, noting: “Next generation, we’ll have smaller beams, more capacity per beam, lower latency,” while suggesting speeds could reach up to 2 gigabits.
Following its established pattern, SpaceX may target business customers with the gigabit Starlink dish before making it available to residential users. The company has consistently introduced its most advanced services to enterprise clients first.
The reseller webinar also mentioned an upcoming refreshed flat high-performance Starlink dish specifically for business users. Notably, SpaceX has already slashed the price of its current flat high-performance dish from $2,499 to $1,499 – potentially indicating inventory clearance ahead of the new model’s introduction.
Beyond the gigabit offering, SpaceX revealed plans for another consumer-focused device to complement the current Starlink Mini dish, which sells for $499 in the US. Details remain limited on this upcoming hardware option.
While gigabit speeds will require new dish, satellite industry analyst Tim Farrar notes existing users might still see performance improvements:
“Starlink is also asking the FCC for permission to relax the power limits applicable to their existing Ku-band links and allow the satellites to operate at lower altitudes and lower elevation angles. So the throughput for existing Ku-band dishes would improve, and it could be more feasible to aggregate multiple terminals and get gigabit downlink speeds that way.”
SpaceX next-gen V3 Starlink satellite
The timing of the gigabit Starlink dish release remains contingent on regulatory approval and the successful launch of Starship carrying the essential V3 satellites needed to deliver these unprecedented speeds. If all goes according to plan, the new hardware could potentially reach customers later this year, bringing space-based internet closer to competing with terrestrial fiber networks.
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