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To attract more users, SpaceX is starting to offer free or $ 50 roof installations for Starlink, a steep drop in the previous $ 199 $ 199.
Starlink.com offers “Free Roof installations” for new buyers in North Carolina and Tennessee. In other states, such as Alabama and Georgia, the company has reduced the service to $ 50. This comes a year after Starlink started offering $ 199 dollars “Expert Installations” at Select Us States through a third -party provider called DSI Systems. The difficult discount suggests that SpaceX itself subsidizes the roof installation in an attempt to increase its base by users in the United States.
The deal is criticized by independent satellite dishes installers that worry that SpaceX sacrifices quality and undermines its own business in the process.
“The problem is that they will use installers that are not checked, have no insurance and will not do quality work,” says Scott Brown, an independent Starlink installer based in Georgia, with Orbit installations.
While Starlink dishes are easy to create, many users and companies still turn to independent technicians for professional roof installations. Brown has installed satellite dishes for about 18 years. But to offer a quality service, he currently charges $ 275; Other technicians ask $ 499 or even $ 799, depending on the building and specifications.
SpaceX entered the installation space last year with DSI. But according to Brown, the supply “basically failed”, as DSI claims to have concluded the jobs of other installers wishing to rush the installations at the expense of quality.
SpaceX seems to have returned with more aggressive supply. It is unclear when he started offering free and reduced roof installations, but an installer posts on Facebook that it is around in North Carolina for a few weeks: “This business is dead. Take what you can while you can,” he told other installers.
Although Brown expects that the DSI -sponsored roof is installed to face the same quality problems, he is also worried that his own business will suffer as Starlink.com advertises directly discounts or free users’ roof installations.
“Somehow I feel blinded [SpaceX] Doing this. I can’t compete with $ 50 or free roof installations in some places, “he says, noting that he has been running hundreds of Starlink installations in the last four years.” I really would like Starlink to have some application process to check the installer, something in this order. “
Another independent installer in North Carolina, James Leroy, added that customers can jump to the free or discount on the roof installations just to regret it later. “The cheap installation will not be a professional installation, so in the long run the customers will see problems with obstacles and possible claims for damage as they have received reduced or free installation,” he says. In some cases, the installation of a Starlink roof may require nearly four hours, he adds.
Meanwhile, another installer tells PCMAG: “Free installations have completely stopped my calls. Advertising on all platforms and is dead. I can’t win free.”
On Facebook another installer says suspects that Spacex wants to do everything possible to reduce Starlink’s registration costs to encourage adoption: “The last thing they want is [technicians] Piggy supports their product, “he writes.
SpaceX and DSI did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But according to the Starlink website, the free or discount installation of the roof does not include installation equipment. So customers will still need to buy the necessary accessories through the Starlink online store. The Starlink Support Page also offers guidelines for the mounting of the Diarers Roof.