There are two main types of satellite internet in Australia: Sky Muster satellite NBN and Starlink. While pricier, Starlink is the better choice because it has faster speeds, lower latency, and even plans that can travel with you. If you're in the market for a Starlink Australia plan, you can either buy direct from SpaceX, or you can grab a simplified plan from a collaboration between Telstra and Starlink.
Telstra Starlink vs SpaceX Starlink: Price
Telstra Starlink
Telstra Starlink plans (plural) aren't a thing, but there is a single plan that costs $125 a month for unlimited data. While that monthly fee includes a Telstra Smart Modem 4, it doesn't include the all-important Starlink Standard kit, which is essential to get online. Telstra offers the Starlink Standard for a once-off $549 outright price.
Delivery of Telstra Starlink equipment is free and should be delivered to you within five business days.
Telstra Satellite Messaging is a Starlink-powered perk for Telstra Upfront mobile customers. It allows Telstra Upfront customers to send and receive messages, particularly when you're outside of Telstra mobile network coverage. You won't get this perk if you're a Telstra prepaid or Telstra Starlink customer, unless you also have a Telstra Upfront mobile plan.
SpaceX Starlink
At first glance, it looks like you have two residential plan choices when buying Starlink direct from SpaceX. But one of those plans, Starlink Lite, is only seemingly available in parts of the United States, Canada, and Indonesia, so Starlink's cheapest plan isn't an option in Australia. That leaves four other SpaceX Starlink plans for Aussies: Starlink Residential, Starlink Priority and two variants of Starlink Roam.
Starlink Residential costs $139 per month for unlimited data, which includes a full refund after a 30-day trial if you don't like it. Unlike Telstra Starlink, SpaceX Starlink has a $0 monthly rental fee for the Starlink Standard kit. Starlink Standard includes a separate third-gen WiFi 6 router to get your devices online.
Starlink Roam is either $80 per month for 50GB of data or $195 for unlimited data. Unlike the Starlink Residential plan, Starlink Roam upfront costs include the monthly fee plus either a once-off $599 RRP for the Starlink Mini kit or $549 RRP for the Starlink Standard kit. Depending on your area, you may also be charged a once-off "demand surcharge", which may vary in price based on location and demand (reportedly between $140 and $1,540).
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Starlink
Starlink Residential 100 Mbps
$75/mth
Min. cost $75
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Starlink
Starlink Residential 200 Mbps
$110/mth
Min. cost $110
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Starlink
Starlink Residential Max
$150/mth
Min. cost $150
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Starlink
Starlink Roam 100GB
$85/mth
+ $289 Upfront
Min. cost $374
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Starlink
Starlink Roam Unlimited
$210/mth
+ $289 Upfront
Min. cost $499
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Telstra Starlink vs SpaceX Starlink: Speed
Telstra Starlink
Telstra's Satellite Home Internet Powered by Starlink plan has capped speeds. According to Telstra, you can expect 50Mbps download speeds and 10Mbps upload speeds during the busy evening hours (7:00pm to 11:00pm daily). Note that Telstra says these estimated speeds are based on limited preliminary testing, so they may change. But don't expect them to go beyond these speeds.
For context, that's the equivalent of an NBN 50 plan, albeit with half the max upload speeds. In the event of an outage, the Telstra Smart Modem 4 offers mobile backup, with up to 25Mbps download and 5Mbps upload speeds.
SpaceX Starlink
SpaceX Starlink plans have higher capped speeds than Telstra Starlink. For Starlink Residential, expect between 150 and 350Mbps download speeds, according to the CIS, or 135–305Mbps according to the Starlink website. You can also expect between 20 and 40Mbps upload speeds. Telstra doesn't advertise latency for its Starlink plan, but SpaceX estimates 25 to 60ms latency for Starlink Residential. According to ACCC 2024 data, Starlink averaged 29.8ms across all hours vs 664.9ms for NBN Sky Muster. For context, Telstra's NBN all-hours latency was 9.8ms according to an ACCC September 2025 report.
Download and upload speeds are lower while latency is higher for Starlink Roam plans. SpaceX estimates between 30Mbps and 100Mbps download speeds or between 10Mbps and 30Mbps upload speeds. That's according to the CIS; on the SpaceX website, Starlink Roam plans have 65–260Mbps download speeds and 15–35Mbps upload speeds. Self-reported latency is under 99ms.
Telstra Starlink vs SpaceX Starlink: Contracts
Telstra Starlink
The Telstra Starlink plan is month-to-month with no contract. You're free to leave at any time, but you will have purchased the Starlink Standard kit outright for $549. Note that while the Telstra Smart Modem is $0 upfront, you have to return it if you leave Telstra within 24 months, otherwise there's a $200 hardware non-return fee.
SpaceX Starlink
Starlink Residential and Starlink Roam plans default to no contract in Australia. For Starlink Residential, if you have the $0 hardware rental option, you have to return the Starlink Standard kit within 30 days of cancellation in good condition. If you don't return the kit or it's not in good condition, you'll have to pay the full $549 RRP. There may also be a '$0 Starlink Kit with 12-Month commitment' plan option available for select areas, including small parts of Western Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, and the Northern Territory.
Telstra Starlink vs SpaceX Starlink: Hardware
Telstra Starlink
The Telstra Starlink plan comes with a Telstra Smart Modem 4, valued at $240 RRP, which arrives separately from the other Starlink hardware. To use Telstra's Starlink plan, though, you'll need to buy the $549 RRP Starlink Standard kit, which includes all of the following items:
- Starlink Standard antenna
- Ground-mount kickstand
- Third-gen router
- 15-metre Starlink cable
- 1.5m AC power cable
- 1.5m power supply
SpaceX Starlink
Whether you buy a Starlink Standard kit from SpaceX or another retailer, it comes with the same items as the Telstra Starlink plan in the list above (but no Telstra Smart Modem 4). At the time of writing, SpaceX was including free professional setup for its Starlink Residential plan, though you may need to purchase a separate mount for a permanent Starlink Standard installation. There's a 30-day warranty for the installation.
If you buy a Starlink Roam plan, you'll be primarily prompted to buy the Starlink Mini kit. It's a smaller, lower-power version of the Starlink Standard kit, and it's designed to travel with you. While the Starlink Standard kit has a separate WiFi 6 router, the Starlink Mini kit has an inbuilt WiFi 5 router. Here's what's included in the Starlink Mini kit:
- Starlink Mini (with integrated WiFi)
- Kickstand
- Mini pipe adapter and flat mount
- 15-metre DC power cable
- Power supply
- Starlink plug
Telstra Starlink vs SpaceX Starlink: Extras
Telstra Starlink
The main extra of Telstra Starlink is the Telstra Smart Modem 4. Not only does this offer 5G mobile backup during an internet outage, it also offers unlimited home phone calls to local, national, and landline numbers. You also get 30 minutes of international calls to any country. You'll have to pay the $549 outright fee for the Starlink Standard kit, but you can grab a Starlink Residential plan afterwards if you want to keep using the service.
SpaceX Starlink
There's a lot of crossover in features between Telstra Starlink and SpaceX Starlink, specifically the plug-and-play setup, weather resilience, and greater than 99.9% Starlink internet uptime. You can either buy the Starlink Standard kit outright or rent it as part of an ongoing month-to-month plan. Starlink Residential users can add a Mobility Mount ($116), Pipe Adapter ($105), Roof Rack Mount ($120), or WiFi 6 Router Mini.
A lot of the other extras for Starlink gear are from third-party providers. And it's a similar story for Starlink Roam, with a selection of third-party mounts designed for use with cars or RVs. That said, Starlink Roam does offer an optional 12v Car Adapter for $92 or the Router Mini
Nathan Lawrence
Freelance Contributor
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