In the rural Whitbourne area in Newfoundland and Labrador, Mike Mullins faced a significant challenge when he built a high-tech smart home for his retirement: the local internet service provided by Bell was not fast enough as it was painfully slow.
“We’ve lived in town for 30 years, and when we moved to Whitbourne, my gosh, we were surprised to learn that the highest speed is, I think it’s like a DSL,” Mullins expressed his astonishment at the lack of high-speed internet options in the area.
Faced with limited choices, Mullins discovered SpaceX Starlink, Elon Musk’s low-Earth orbit satellite internet, known for its high-speed connectivity and easy set up.
Initially hesitant about the cost and installation process, Mullins said, “I was really concerned about the initial cost and, of course, the distance, because you had to get it from California, and at the time, they were asking for $1,000 for the dish and you had to install it yourself.”
Currently, you can buy Starlink hardware for as low as $250 in Canada for refurbished units. This lower cost has been available since November 2023, and just recently SpaceX has been pushing more ads targeting Canadians on X and Facebook about the lower cost hardware (refurbished hardware did not launch this week in Canada).
Despite these concerns, Mullins proceeded with Starlink, finding the setup process surprisingly easy. “We pulled the trigger; it took a week and all we had to do was get a GPS reading of where our house was being built,” he explained. The ease of installation and immediate access to high-speed internet transformed his experience, even during the construction phase of his home.
Mullins now enjoys uninterrupted internet, which is essential for his smart home. “We haven’t had one drop out or down service at all,” he says. “We needed something that was dependable, and I don’t think you could get a more dependable service than Starlink.”
Similarly, James Jones, a resident on the south coast of Labrador and a business owner, has found Starlink to be a game-changer. Operating a tour boat, Jones relied heavily on telephone services before Starlink. “We use Starlink here in Labrador, we used to have Bell, but it was very slow. We have been with Starlink for about two years now, best move ever made, no issues,” Jones stated, emphasizing the significant improvement in connectivity.
Both Mullins and Jones have seen an increasing number of Starlink users in their communities, indicating a growing preference for the satellite service over traditional providers. Mullins believes that local internet providers will need to upgrade their services soon but remains skeptical, saying, “I find it incredible that in ‘69 they put a man on the moon, but yet you can’t have high-speed service, right?”, said Mullings to Saltwire (via Tesla North).
Back in the spring of 2021, Bell said it was ready to take on Starlink “any day”.
What makes Starlink a game changer is how easy it is to set up. You just plug in the hardware, point the Starlink dish at the sky and you’re ready to go, with everything managed within the Starlink mobile app. There’s no need to deal with your telecom company or sign any contracts as the service is month-to-month.
