Starlink gives free satellite dish to early subscribers

Starlink is inviting some of its earliest customers to swap their first-generation round dish for a new Standard kit at no cost. The offer targets people who were among the first to connect and still use the original hardware.

Not only do eligible customers get the kit that is currently discounted on Amazon for free, but Starlink also throws in a free mount. They can also opt in for free installation, and that last perk matters, as nobody really wants to haul a heavy dish off a roof by themselves.

Those hoping to get the latest and greatest and most compact V5 dish are in for a disappointment, as the box includes a Standard 4X dish with a built-in kickstand, a Router 3, a power supply, a Starlink cable, and a power cable. That replaces the motorized round terminal that beta testers and early adopters received from 2020 onward.

The upgrade is still substantial, as the old circular dish weighed 7.3 kg (16 lbs), against 4.2 kg (9.2 lbs) for its successor. It was also far bulkier, as the original measured 23 inches across, while its rectangular replacement is only 12 inches wide. Starlink moved to the flat design back in 2021, which left the early kit serving an ever decreasing group of loyal subscribers who couldn't be bothered with new gear.

This is not the first time SpaceX has offered a free replacement for its older Starlink gear, either. Late last year, the company announced that the Gen 1 router would stop receiving software updates, and it offered a free Router Mini, which usually retails for $40, as a thank you.

The dish offer looks like the logical next step, as Starlink recently stopped offering the Standard dish as a free rental with Residential plans, and started charging $10 per month for the kit. So veterans get free hardware while newcomers pay up. SpaceX has not said how many customers qualify or when the emails will land, and the router rollout happened in waves, so if one still runs Starlink from a round dish, they should keep an eye on their inbox and Starlink app account.