Starlink has changed the name of their portable service from Starlink RV to Starlink Roam. Regional Roam is just like the previous RV plan, which enabled you to use Starlink anywhere within your own continent. Global Roam, the new option, enables you to use Starlink anywhere with active Starlink coverage, across multiple continents. This new global roaming service allows your Starlink dish to connect to satellites virtually anywhere on land in the world.
The previous Starlink RV and Portability add-on allowed continental travel, but Starlink Global Roam enables inter-continental travel without many of the restrictions applied to the other portability tiers. In this article, I am going to tell you everything you need to know about Starlink Roam. I will cover what it is, what it costs, how it works, and who it would be a good fit for.
What Is Global Roaming?
Global Roam is a service plan from Starlink that enables global on land travel with a Starlink unit. It joins Regional Roam to form the two service options under the Starlink Roam tier. Starlink Roam is Starlink’s portable service product line, and it is the new name for Starlink RV. Starlink satellites cover nearly all land on Earth, but the service is still available based on regulatory approval. You can check for up-to-date coverage information on the Starlink availability map.
Both Roam services come with a Standard Starlink hardware kit. Regional Roam has an option to upgrade to the Flat High Performance hardware for in-motion use. The Standard equipment is identical to the equipment sold with Residential. Contents of the kit include the Starlink dish, stand, router, and cables. Find out more about what comes with a Starlink kit here.
Starlink Roam Cost
The hardware kit for Global Roam costs $599, and you will pay $200 per month for the service. Global Roam can be paused so that you aren’t billed when it’s not in use. There are no contracts required, and customers can return the kit within 30 days for a full refund if they are not satisfied. Regional Roam (formerly Starlink RV) still costs $150/month, with the hardware kit starting at $599.
Billing is currently only available in USD (United States Dollars) for Global Roam. It can be purchased outside of the US, but you will be responsible for customs and import taxes, if required.
You can also transfer previously used Starlink equipment into a new Global Roam or Regional Roam account. For details on this process, check out our guide on transferring and activating service for a used dish.
How Does It Work?
The technology that allows global roaming to work is the inter-satellite links that have been going into service on the newer generations of Starlink satellites. Also known as the ‘space lasers’, these inter-satellite laser links allow for incredibly fast satellite to satellite communication. Global connectivity is achieved by reducing the amount of ground stations required to send data to the internet.
Before the space lasers, data was sent to the internet only via Starlink ground stations. Since there aren’t ground stations in every country, some areas of the globe were simply too far away from ground stations to be reliably serviced. The laser links allow data to be sent from satellite to satellite, through the Starlink constellation, and then to the optimal ground station. This enables low latency, high speed internet virtually anywhere on Earth.
Who Is It For?
At $200/month, Global Roam isn’t exactly cheap compared to most internet plans. In my opinion, Global Roaming will be best for international travelers or organizations who require Starlink service on multiple continents. Starlink Regional Roam is still available for $50/month cheaper, and will appeal to people who don’t need to travel between continents.
If connectivity is important to you on land, across the globe, Global Roam is a great value. There aren’t any other providers that offer global coverage with low latency and high speeds. My guess is that a lot of non-profits, businesses, and other organizations who operate in many different locations around the world will be the first to utilize this new service.
Regular domestic travelers, which includes most RV’ers, overlanders, campers, etc., will still find the best value with Regional Roam. With Regional Roam, you still have the ability to travel within an entire continent, you just can’t cross into another one.
Regional Roaming vs Global Roaming
You may be wondering, what’s the difference between Regional and Global Roaming? The first major difference is that Global Roam doesn’t have travel restrictions like the Regional plan. Starlink Regional Roam is limited to use within the same continent as the customers shipping address. Global Roam doesn’t have that restriction, so it can be used globally on virtually any continent.
The other difference is cost. Starlink Regional Roam costs $150/month, while Global Roam costs $200/month. The equipment cost for both services is the same at $599.
Finally, the last important distinction between Regional and Global Roam is that the in-motion, Flat High Performance hardware is not available for Global Roaming. The in-motion Starlink hardware can only be purchased on the Regional Roam plan.
What Speeds Do I Get With Starlink Roam?
Both Starlink Roam plans (Regional and Global) are deprioritized on the Starlink network. That means in times of network congestion, performance may suffer compared to Residential and Business Starlink customers in the area. That said, Starlink says Roam customers will get between 5-50 mbps download speeds, and 2-10 mbps upload speeds.
It’s also important to note that the Starlink satellite constellation isn’t yet finished. Starlink says that Global Roam customers should expect higher latency and regular service interruptions. Global roaming, as of right now, is a best effort kind of service. As more laser links come online, reliability and performance will improve. Regional Roam customers, who are typically in areas with existing Starlink ground stations, will have less of an issue with interruptions and reliability.
How Do I Order?
You will find the Roam service on the Starlink.com website, under the Roam menu. From there, enter your shipping address. Then, pick whether you want the standard Portable or the Mobile hardware (Mobile is not available with Global Roam). Finally, select Regional or Global Roam.
Finish filling out your information, and place the order. Billing starts 14 days after your order ships. You have up to 30 days from delivery to return your Starlink kit for a full refund.
Restrictions With Starlink Roam
The two month restriction remains in place for both Starlink Roam plans. Starlink says that users who stay in one country for more than 2 months will need to update their registered address:
3.3 Limitation and Requirements for Starlink Roaming Users. Starlink Roaming Services is a consumer product only and is not available for purchase or use by commercial, enterprise, or governmental users. If you use Starlink Roaming Services for more than two months in a country that is different than your shipping address, Starlink may require you to move your registered address to your new location. Starlink does not guarantee when or where Starlink Roaming Services will be available. Starlink Roaming Services are dependent on many factors, including obtaining or maintaining the necessary regulatory approvals which are subject to change. Find a list of authorized territories (marked “Available or Waitlist”) on Starlink map: www.starlink.com/map.
Starlink Roaming Terms of Service
Final Thoughts
The branding from Starlink RV to Starlink Roam came as a surprise to me and most Starlink fans. But after digging through the details and writing this article, I already feel confident that it was a smart move. After all, customers are using the portable Starlink service for way more than just RV’s. I feel that the new Roam name reflects the possibilities of the service even better than before.
The global roaming feature available with Starlink Roam is going to be a hit for many international travelers and organizations. Now you won’t have to worry about where you buy the equipment. You just buy it once and go, without worrying about straying outside of the original continent you purchased it in.
Do you find the features of Global Roam appealing for your situation? Is $200/month a reasonable price for this feature for the ability to travel globally? I would love to know your thoughts in the comments!
Currently a lot of travelers use Starlink for RV on the panamericana in north and south America. Some of them have even purchased the hardware in Europe. Will Starlink stop working for them if they don’t buy the global roaming option?
That’s one of the big unknowns with these new plans. It’s likely they will start enforcing boundaries with geo-locking, in order for force people to the Global plan.
So i installed my Starlink Rv system on February 4 in Haiti. I brought the system in my checked in luggage. My billing period ends march 18, and I’m considering transferring the system to myself using a new account so i can change it to Global Roam. My question is would i have an issue transferring it to myself if I’m already In Haiti? Also how long does it take after i press cancel and start the transfer?
Nope, you shouldn’t have any issue. The transfer can happen immediately. Cancel and transfer, then log out, order Roam, and type in your kit # in the order form.
I’ve been using U.S. based residential+portability since March ’22 (pre-RV) on my boat in Mexico and Central America. I like that the two-month foreign use limit doesn’t apply (only to RV) and that I’ve been able to use in coastal areas.
I’d like to consider switching to Global Roam for use in other continents’ coastal waters. I notice that the official coverage maps still include coastal waters even though Starlink says “land only”.
1. How to switch from R+P to Global Roam?
2. Will Starlink be eliminating coastal waters from their coverage (and map) for the roaming service?
Sent from San Blas, Panama
You can switch your current hardware to Global Roam by transferring it out of your current account and activating it on a new Global Roam account. I doubt Starlink eliminates coastal waters for Roam. I think it will continue to function the same as it did with RV.
As for Portability, it has the same restriction about staying in a location longer than 2 months. Starlink has just never enforced it. There is speculation that they will start to enforce it now that Global Roam is available.
Coast Water (tidal) and In-land (non-tidal) waters are not included in the Roam T&C. The T&C state state only “land-based destination”…..”Starlink Roaming “Regional” Plan allows you to access Services at any land-based destination within the continent that you place your Order. Starlink Roaming “Global” Plan allows you to access Services at any land-based destination where Starlink provides active coverage. ” Whether it becomes enforced such that thousands of boaters would be denied access is hard to believe. Also, if I’m dockside at a marina, connected to shore power, is that in-land waters, coastal waters, or land-based? If I’m at anchor 100 yards away or a mooring ball 25 yards away, does that really change the equation.
I just gritted my teeth and bought this expensive global roaming in Central America. Now I would like to change to regional roaming and don’t see a way to downgrade.
I don’t think there is a way to switch between Regional and Global. But as a workaround, you can cancel your service, transfer the hardware out of your account, and then activate the hardware on a new Regional Roam plan. The transfer process is covered in more detail in this article:
https://www.starlinkhardware.com/how-to-buy-sell-and-transfer-a-used-starlink/
Question: if I already own the RV Starlink with now what is known as “roam” service. Do I have the ability to upgrade my service to “global”? If so, how can I do this?
Not at the moment. I don’t see any way to upgrade or convert between the two Roam services. It does appear that you can use cancel and transfer your Regional Roam dish, and then open a new Starlink account and activate the dish on a Global Roam plan. Hopefully they add the ability to change between the two so that workaround isn’t necessary.
Btw- i sent support a message and they were willing to change my plan from roam to global roam.
That’s interesting. I just saw a Reddit post the other day with a customer support agent saying they couldn’t convert peoples accounts to Global Roam. Would it be possible to screenshot your customer support conversation if they end up successfully converting your plan? If you get a chance, you can send the screenshots to [email protected].
Question, I want to order one but I want to move it one in a while from my residence to my trailer?Which package would be best to purchase?
If you live in the US, Roam is the only option because they got rid of the Portability add-on for Residential.
When will we be able to use Roam (RV) while on the road, or has the restriction been lifted?
If you mean while driving, you could always use Roam/RV in-motion, it just requires the Flat High Performance hardware ($2500). In-motion use with the Standard hardware probably won’t ever be allowed.
This may have already been answered. If so I apologize. How do you change from normal RV to global?
I’ve been playing around with it, and it doesn’t appear that you can. When I transfer in my current dish I only get the option of Regional Roam, and there is no option to convert within the Account Portal. You may be able to open a brand new Starlink account and transfer in an existing dish to Global Roam, but I haven’t tried that yet. For now it looks like they really want people to buy new hardware for Global Roam.
Perhaps someone can answer my question, does the new roam still have the two months max in another country on the same continent restriction? If so, does it reset when going to another country, or is it a rolling 12 month restriction?
Yes, the two month in one country restriction is still in place, although I’ve never heard of them enforcing it. I have updated the article with the link to the Starlink Roaming Terms of Service, and the relevant section explaining the restriction. It is my understanding that the time is reset when anytime you cross to a new country, even just briefly.
Could i switch from my roam plan to global roam? If yes how?
It doesn’t look like you can easily change to Global Roam at the moment.
Say you are going overseas on a 2 month trip. Do you know if you can upgrade from Regional Roam (actually a current “RV” plan) to Global Roam? And then switch back to Reginal Roam?
Right now I can’t see any option to change.