From PCMAG · Michael Kan · · 2m
Starlink's 5TB cap didn't go away everywhere
SpaceX quietly walked back its data cap in the US and Europe, but users in Mexico, Bangladesh and Indonesia say they're still throttled.
In brief
SpaceX quietly walked back its data cap in the US and Europe, but users in Mexico, Bangladesh and Indonesia say they're still throttled. Starlink's "unlimited" residential plan has a fair use policy behind it, and outside the US and Europe that policy is still biting at around 5TB. Originally reported by PCMAG.
Lifted here, not there
Starlink's surprise data cap was rolled back for users in the US and Europe. Subscribers in other markets say nothing changed for them.
“I'm still restricted, how do I resolve this?”
What US users got back
Several American subscribers and one in Europe said the 5TB monthly cap simply vanished from their accounts. Some got an apology and a free month of service.
Speeds cut to a crawl
Throttled customers dropped from the usual 100 to 300Mbps down to under 10Mbps, slow enough to make normal work difficult.
Complaints spread worldwide
Reddit threads and Facebook groups filled up with reports from Mexico, Bangladesh and Venezuela over a single weekend.
It can hit in days
One customer said service was suspended after burning 500GB in three days, so the trigger isn't only a monthly total.
“They suspended my antenna service because of this usage, 500 GB over three days.”
Petitions and legal pushback
Change.org petitions have appeared in Spanish and Indonesian. One accuses SpaceX of breaking local consumer law by adding the limit with no notice.
“Starlink promises 'unlimited' internet service, but unfortunately, the reality is far from what was advertised.”
The upsell behind it
Warning messages tell users their consumption looks like enterprise use and point them to pricier Priority business plans. The residential fine print has always allowed speed cuts.
How heavy is heavy
Some throttled users posted screenshots above 10TB, and one Argentine customer admitted to 24.5TB a month. The average US broadband household uses roughly 711GB.
“I consumed 24.5TB monthly and he laughed and told me that obviously this consumption is not normal”
Shared dishes, shared bills
In rural Bangladesh a $400 dish costs a quarter of a family's yearly income, so neighbors split one account. That pushes a single line far past typical home use.
The real complaint is silence
Users say they would have decided differently if the 5TB line had been disclosed up front. Even the Jamaican subscriber who called the cap fair only learned about it after getting throttled.
“If I had known that my speed would be significantly restricted after reaching 5TB, I would have seriously reconsidered purchasing it”
The bottom line
Starlink's "unlimited" residential plan has a fair use policy behind it, and outside the US and Europe that policy is still biting at around 5TB.
