Alaska is known for a lot of things, but fast internet isn’t one of them—at least not if you live outside of Anchorage, and even then, your options are limited. Living down on the Kenai Peninsula, our family has also always been stuck with what’s available where we are, which is usually just one internet service provider. I’m happy to say that the rise of satellite internet, specifically Starlink, is changing that. But is Starlink any good in Alaska? Can it handle the snow, ice, and storms? Here’s my review as a new Starlink user in Soldotna, AK.
What is Starlink?
Starlink is a global provider of satellite-based internet. Operated by the Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, also known as SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk, the company launched its first low earth orbit satellites in 2019, and as of 2024, now has over 6,000 in orbit serving 102 countries.
How much does Starlink cost in Alaska? Are there long-term contracts?
Like many high-speed internet providers, Starlink offers various package options, including residential, business, mobile, and boat plans. Most residents are probably going to want either the residential plan or the mobile plan.
Residential
The residential plan ranges between $90 and $120 per month and includes unlimited data. You’ll notice the website says $120, but if you’re in an area defined by Starlink as having “excess capacity,” the rate drops to $90 at checkout. The Starlink coverage map doesn’t show what areas are designated as having excess capacity, but I would wager it’s a good chunk, if not all, of Alaska. The only area that I suspect may not qualify would be Anchorage.
Roam
With the residential plan, you can only use your equipment at your set service address. You can’t just take your receiver and router with you and plug in wherever you are. Roam allows you to do so, whether you’re traveling, camping, or even just visiting a friend with crap internet. There are two Roam plans. The Mini Roam allows for 50 GB of data per month and is $50 per month. The unlimited Roam is $150 per month.
Equipment
There are no contracts with Starlink—it’s just month-to-month—but you do have to purchase the equipment to set it up. The equipment is sold as a kit that includes the satellite receiver, Wi-Fi router, and cords to connect everything. The recommended standard residential kit is regularly priced at $499, and the smaller kit recommended for mobile Roam users is $599.
Can I sell my Starlink equipment if I don’t like the service?
Yes. According to Starlink support, you can transfer service for your equipment to someone else from your account on a desktop or the Starlink app. However, you do need to wait 90 days after you activate your equipment or 120 days after your purchase, whichever comes first. On that note, you may be able to buy a used kit to save money.
How can I save on Starlink equipment costs?
Speaking of saving, one of the things that kept me from trying Starlink sooner was those relatively high start-up costs. The good news is that there are a few ways you may be able to cut those costs a bit.
First, Starlink occasionally offers promotional sales. For instance, right now, the residential equipment kit is on sale for $299 until October 5, 2024. That’s $200 off! Second, you can get your first month free if you sign up using a referral link. Shameless plug, here’s mine. In the interest of disclosure, I will also get a month free if you sign up with my link.
Beyond that, or buying used, you also don’t have to buy your equipment through Starlink directly, though to take advantage of that free month I just mentioned you would need to. You can buy kits from a wide range of retailers, such as BestBuy, Home Depot, Amazon, Target, and more. Why would you want to do that? Well, because you can get cash back on your purchase through sites like Rakuten and Swagbucks. I recommend doing some comparing of rates to see what store would give you the best return.
As an example of how this can work when I bought my Starlink kit, Swagbucks was offering 10% cash back at BestBuy and 5% cash back at MyGiftCards.plus. I bought gift cards on a credit card that offered 1.5% cash back to cover my purchase, then I used those gift cards to shop at BestBuy. My purchase was $299. I got $14.95 back from the gift card purchase, $4.48 on my credit card, and $29.90 back from the BestBuy purchase for a total of $49.33. That’s effectively a 16.5% discount.
You can utilize this trick for any purchase by the way. Here are my referral links for both Swagbucks and Rakuten if you’re interested. You’ll get a bonus credit of $10 with either option. I do wish I’d had a Starlink referral link to use when I signed up though. The free month would have been $90 savings, which would have made it worth buying directly from Starlink.
Is Starlink hard to install?
That out of the way, on to installation. Starlink is pretty plug-and-play. It seems designed for self-install, but you can opt for professional installation as well if you have a trickier situation like a second-story roof.
To install Starlink, you just set the receiver somewhere with an unobstructed view of the sky and plug it in. The app even has tools to help you find a location with a clear view of the sky and align the receiver correctly. A handy-dandy map will be generated over time to show you if your chosen location has frequent obstructions. I will say the in-the-box instructions could include a few extras, like how to set a password on your Wi-Fi or rename the connection (both are done in your account settings), but overall, it’s incredibly easy.
When I first set mine up, I just put it on the roof of an old truck, but you can also buy various mounts to install it. In Alaska, if you go with a roof mount, you’d want to be aware of where the snow slides or would need to be shoveled off the roof. A roof-peak mount or on the peak side at the least, would be recommended.
Starlink also likely wouldn’t be a great choice for those in apartments, unless you have permission from your landlord to roof mount or install a pole out in the yard. Again, be aware of where snow may be pushed during plowing. I wouldn’t suggest leaving a receiver at ground level up here or anywhere with heavy snowfall, though you can do that.
Is Starlink reliable in Alaska? What about the snow and ice? Does it interrupt service?
On the topic of weather conditions, that was my second biggest concern after cost. If you’re from here, you know we get some wicked storms, and satellite TV isn’t known for being super reliable. Beyond my personal experience, there is actually a Facebook group for AK Starlink subscribers with over 17K users from all over the state, including rural Alaska.
From a deep dive into the commentary there, it seems that the consensus is the reliability is pretty solid. Assuming you have power, you’re likely going to have internet. Starlink even helped rescuers in Chevak save some lost snow machiners during an active blizzard.
I also worried that snow and ice might build up on the receiver and require constant clearing, but it has a built-in heater to prevent that. You can turn the heater off if it causes problems with run-off icicle formation (it might). You’ll also find a photo or a few from folks with receivers covered in close to a foot of snow still working fine.
How fast is Starlink in Alaska?
Finally, Starlink is advertised as offering speeds between 25 and 220 Mbps. There’s no reason you wouldn’t be able to hit those speeds in Alaska, as unlike companies like GCI and ACS that rely on built-in infrastructure, Starlink is all in the sky.
As far as my real-world experience, here’s a side-by-side comparison on the same device comparing ACS DSL in Soldotna at the max available speed (advertised at 10 Mbps) and Starlink. No other providers were available in my neighborhood. In this test, both Starlink download and upload speeds were more than 5 times faster than ACS on a good day. I will note, we regularly saw speeds closer to 1 Mbps, especially in times when things like a tide of dipnetters in town taxed the network.
Starlink seems to average between 40-55 Mbps with low latency where I currently have it mounted. Your speeds are going to vary based on where you have it and whether there are any obstructions, but for most users, it’s going to be plenty fast for online gaming, streaming, video calls, and all the other fun online activities we’ve all come to know and love.
I’ve done my best to answer common questions most people have when considering Starlink in Alaska, but if you have more, drop me a comment.