[Starlink] Re: Starlink looking less niche as its retail presence expands

[Inemesit Affia <inemesitaffia@gmail.com>]

I expect if starship is successful and Amazon mounts a challenge, well see
the most expensive Starlink Residential  plan be around the US (wired)
average. I believe that's around $70

On Wed, Sep 17, 2025, 7:46 PM Frantisek Borsik <frantisek.borsik@gmail.com>
wrote:

> Starlink will become that 2nd or 3rd connectivity option for many, in the
> coming years - and Kuiper, presumably others, as well. Especially with the
> introduction of that standby $5 program. They might bring other tiers for
> something like that in the future.
>
> And for some, especially in the rural areas, it will be the one and only
> option (not crazy expensive and hard to get.)
>
> All the best,
>
> Frank
>
> Frantisek (Frank) Borsik
>
>
> *In loving memory of Dave Täht: *1965-2025
>
> https://libreqos.io/2025/04/01/in-loving-memory-of-dave/
>
>
> https://www.linkedin.com/in/frantisekborsik
>
> Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp: +421919416714
>
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> frantisek.borsik@gmail.com
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>
> On Wed, Sep 17, 2025 at 8:21 PM Inemesit Affia via Starlink <
> starlink@lists.bufferbloat.net> wrote:
>
>> Starlink is *advertised* as a rural product as opposed to relegated to
>> one.
>> It's available to be used everywhere just like tractors and cow milking
>> machines.
>>
>> In Africa, most users are urban. I'm willing to bet there are more
>> urban+suburban users in the USA and Australia.
>>
>> There are many pockets of unavailability and unreliability.
>>
>> I remember seeing a user in a new skyscraper. No mobile service there.
>>
>> The benefit for users having retail(including online) availability IMO is
>> getting hardware & replacements on short notice. Same day or next day.
>>
>> On Wed, Sep 17, 2025, 5:55 PM the keyboard of geoff goodfellow via
>> Starlink
>> <starlink@lists.bufferbloat.net> wrote:
>>
>> > *Starlink has nearly a dozen retail partners in the US, including Best
>> Buy
>> > and Walmart, illustrating the company's desire to make the satellite
>> > service less of a niche, rural play. However, Starlink's subs still
>> skew to
>> > rural areas.*
>> > EXCERPT:
>> >
>> > The Starlink satellite broadband service remains largely relegated to
>> rural
>> > areas and does not yet represent a major, direct competitor to wireline
>> > broadband service providers and fixed wireless access (FWA) offerings in
>> > urban areas.
>> >
>> >
>> > But Starlink's expanding presence at retail sites – along with some
>> recent
>> > price cuts – indicates the company isn't content for the service to be
>> > limited as a niche offering.
>> >
>> >
>> > Jeff Moore, principal of Wave7 Research and a watcher of marketing
>> trends
>> > across the mobile, satellite and broadband landscapes, discovered back
>> in
>> > March that Starlink was being sold broadly at Best Buy stores.
>> >
>> >
>> > "Since March, every single Best Buy that we have checked in every state
>> has
>> > had a highly visible display for Starlink," Moore said, adding that most
>> > tend to be "endcap" displays placed at the end of aisles.
>> >
>> >
>> > And Starlink has been broadening its retail footprint. Citing
>> > Starlink's evolving
>> > list of retail partners
>> > <
>> >
>> https://www.starlink.com/support/article/8a90222d-7c32-edd7-51f6-f696ece07105
>> > >,
>> > Moore points out that the service is also being sold by a mix of big-box
>> > stores and smaller outlets, including Home Depot, Nebraska Furniture
>> Mart,
>> > West Marine, Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, Microcom, Thor Industries,
>> Tractor
>> > Supply, Winegard Company and Walmart.
>> >
>> >
>> > But Starlink's retail presence is not exactly uniform. According to
>> Wave7's
>> > in-person checks, Walmart, for example, has Starlink displays at some
>> > stores but not in others.
>> >
>> > Moore also points out that Starlink's retail presence is not limited to
>> > rural areas. "We're not seeing it slice that way at all," he said.
>> >
>> > Moore said Home Depot is getting more aggressive with Starlink, even if
>> its
>> > displays are not exactly "glittering jewels of commercialism."
>> >
>> > "They're sort of non-descript displays. If you know what you're looking
>> > for, you can find it," he said.
>> >
>> > That said, Starlink is a "priority" for Home Depot this year and "sales
>> > have been strong," Moore said, citing information from what he says is a
>> > well-placed source familiar with the chain. However, the lion's share of
>> > those sales have been online rather than in-store, he added.
>> >
>> > So, what to make of Starlink's increased focus on retail? Moore thinks
>> it's
>> > a way for Starlink to gravitate away from being a "niche" product into
>> more
>> > of a mass-market product.
>> >
>> > Retail partnerships give Starlink another sales channel without having
>> to
>> > shell out millions to erect its own physical storefronts. However, the
>> > retail experience, particularly at big-box stores, can be lackluster.
>> >
>> > Roger Entner, founder and analyst at Recon Analytics, said his data
>> shows
>> > that satisfaction with the sales process at big-box retailers is
>> "abysmal,"
>> > driving negative net promoter scores (NPS). Meanwhile, most Starlink
>> sales
>> > occur online.
>> >
>> >
>> > *Who are Starlink's customers?*
>> > Starlink, which relies on a constellation of low-Earth orbit (LEO)
>> > satellites, reported in July that it has more than 2 million active
>> > customers in the US. By comparison, its geosynchronous (GEO) satellite
>> > broadband competitors – Hughes Network Systems and Viasat – are much
>> > smaller and losing subscribers.
>> >
>> > Hughes lost 34,000 subs in Q2 2025, ending with 819,000. Viasat's base
>> of
>> > fixed broadband subs has dipped to 172,000. Just this week, EchoStar
>> execs
>> > said Hughes Network Systems is pivoting to the enterprise market
>> > <
>> >
>> https://www.lightreading.com/satellite/echostar-execs-dish-on-company-s-forced-pivot-and-the-path-forward
>> > >
>> > as the residential side of its satellite business remains in decline.
>> >
>> > "Hughes and Viasat are still running TV advertising. They're still a
>> > competitive and viable option but losing share pretty rapidly." Moore
>> said.
>> >
>> > Some Viasat and Hughes customers are defecting to Starlink, but most of
>> > Starlink's customers are leaving small rural telcos and cable operators
>> for
>> > the satellite operator, Entner said. Overall, more than 85% of
>> Starlink's
>> > customers come from rural areas, while the rest are suburban, according
>> to
>> > Recon Analytics data.
>> >
>> >
>> > *Service and equipment price cuts*...
>> >
>> > [...]
>> >
>> >
>> https://www.lightreading.com/satellite/starlink-looking-less-niche-as-its-retail-presence-expands
>> >
>> > --
>> > Geoff.Goodfellow@iconia.com
>> > living as The Truth is True
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