Starlink’s new satellite dish fits in your backpack

Dylan Crismale - Digital Content Editor

Last updated 25 June 2024

Starlink's new Mini satellite dish condenses its regular kit into a compact form - one that can fit in a backpack.

The Starlink Mini is akin to a portable WiFi modem but using satellite rather than a mobile network.

At 29.8 x 25.9 x 3.68 centimetres and weighing under 2kg the Starlink Mini is comparable in size to a small (albeit thick) laptop. It's DC-powered with a WiFi router integrated in the dish and capable of delivering speeds of over 100Mbps. That's the equivalent of an NBN 100 plan.

Currently, the Mini is on sale in several Latin American countries and is available to order via early access in the United States.

There's no indication of when it will be available to Australian customers but Starlink does plan to eventually roll it out to more markets.

The Mini effectively makes Starlink's satellite internet backpacker and hiker-friendly. It even has an IP67 rating making it fairly dust and water-resistant.

How much will it cost in Australia? At present the best we can do is make an educated guess. In the States, the Mini will cost USD$599 (USD$100 more than the Standard Starlink kit). Additionally, Starlink will charge customers USD$30 per month for 50GB of mobile data that can be used throughout the country (additional data is charged at $1 per GB). Plus, you're required to keep your existing Residential service. In the US that's USD$120 per month.

At current exchange rates, the Starlink Mini is about $150 more expensive than a standard model, and the extra data is about $45 per month. Starlink’s Australian has historically been cheaper than what it charges in the United States, so there’s no easy way to guess how it could be priced if and when the Mini launches in Australia.

A note on Starlink's support page says "Our goal is to reduce the price of Starlink, especially for those around the world where connectivity has been unaffordable or completely unavailable. In regions with high usage, like the US, where Starlink Mini places additional demand on the satellite network, we are offering a limited number of the Starlink Mini Kits to start at a higher price point."

Seemingly in line with that ethos, Starlink hasn't put data or speed caps in place for the Mini where it's available in Latin America.

Starlink already offers a "Mobile Regional" plan for $174 per month in Australia with unlimited in-land data but this plan is available with a Standard Satellite dish which is still a hefty 59.4 x 38.3 x 3.81 centimetres and weighs 2.9kg.

The Mini is just one way Starlink is increasing the portability of satellite internet. The company has partnered with Aussie telco Optus to deliver SMS over Starlink satellite in regional Australia by the end of 2024.

Dylan Crismale

Digital Content Editor

Dylan Crismale is a Digital Content Editor at WhistleOut, has been writing for almost a decade across a variety of Australian publications. He previously worked as a writer at Finder covering energy, internet and mobile plans. Dylan is passionate about finding the best deals to save people money and educating people about tech. When he's not sat at his desk Dylan loves working out, bingeing TV and hanging out with friends.

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