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Thinking of using the portable Starlink Mini dish on a plane? Don’t fly too fast.
SpaceX has supported using its Mini dish in small planes since last year. But on Thursday, a few Starlink customers received an email from the company regarding an upcoming “operating speed” limit. “We are contacting you because we recently detected that your Starlink terminal is operating at high speeds,” SpaceX wrote in the email.
The company isn’t talking about internet download speeds, but how fast the dish itself is physically moving. The message says SpaceX will impose a new miles-per-hour restriction on the $165-per-month Starlink Roam plan for the Mini dish and business-focused Priority plans.
“Beginning November 7, 2025, we will reduce the maximum supported operating speed for all Roaming, Local Priority, and Global Priority plans from 550 mph (471 knots) to 450 mph (391 knots). This adjustment is part of our ongoing efforts to optimize network performance and ensure stable service for all users,” SpaceX said.
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If the customer wants to use their Starlink dish while traveling at a faster rate of speed, the email points to the Starlink Aviation plan. The only problem? It’s designed for commercial jet operators and costs $10,000 per month for unlimited data or $2,000 per month for 20GB of data.
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In response, Preston Holland, an executive at a private aircraft financing firm, tweeted: “Starlink figured out that a lot of people were using a Starlink mini in their jets.”
The upcoming restriction is certainly a “first world problem” that’ll only affect customers who can afford to own and operate a small plane. Still, Holland expects the restriction to curb Starlink Mini’s use on faster small planes within the flying community, although many other models have normal cruising speeds under 450mph.
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About Our Expert
Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
Experience
I’ve been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I’m currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country’s technology sector.
Since 2020, I’ve covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I’ve combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink’s cellular service.
I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. Earlier this year, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.
I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I’m now following how President Trump’s tariffs will affect the industry. I’m always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.
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