While Elon Musk dreams of connecting Mars, we're grateful that Starlink has connected some of the most remote places on Earth. For sailors, vanlifers, overlanders, and other international travelers, Starlink is essential for safety, navigation, weather, work, and staying connected.
However, the new Roam policy creates a conflict. It requires customers to localize their account after 30 days abroad, but the existing 90-day country transfer rule often makes this impossible.
A cruiser may spend 30 days in Vanuatu, then 30 days in the Solomon Islands, then continue to Papua New Guinea. The new policy requires changing to a local plan, but the 90-day rule prevents it.
The only alternative is the Global Priority plan, which is too expensive for most travelers. As a result, many are forced back to unreliable SIM cards and mobile hotspots—the very problem Starlink solved.
We ask Starlink to remove the 90-day country transfer restriction and allow customers to localize their account whenever they move to a new country.
Starlink has added an extra layer of safety and comfort to sailing the oceans. It would be be a big loss if the average sailor no longer has access to this amazing technology. Writing this while crossing the Arafura Sea, thanks to Starlink.