Starlink 101: Bringing You Up to Speed
By Chris Watson
In October 2020, communications for leisure boats and commercial vessels changed irrevocably, although we didn’t necessarily realize it at the time. That month, SpaceX launched the “Better than Nothing” beta tests for a new satellite communications system that most people had never heard of: Starlink.
At that year’s Ft. Lauderdale International Boat Show, a particularly forward-thinking attendee passed the KVH exhibit, with its advanced, high-tech parabolic dish antennas, and was heard to say, “That’s who Starlink is going to put out of business.”
Thankfully, that particular prediction didn’t come true, but what DID happen was boaters gained access to perhaps the most disruptive and exciting new communications technology of the last thirty years.
Since its launch, especially in the last year or so, Starlink has changed how boaters think about connectivity on the water, what they can expect, and what they can enjoy both on the dock, along the coast, and out in blue water.
That’s because, compared to traditional parabolic dish-based satcom, Starlink is 10 times faster, offers data that can be 10 times less expensive, and is available using antennas with prices at least 10 times lower.
But with those benefits come the rapidly evolving world of Starlink technology, data plans, and policies. At KVH, we’re now one of Starlink’s top Authorized Resellers of airtime and hardware, and we’ve been fielding tons of questions, especially following the changes Starlink announced in Spring 2025. With that in mind, here’s a primer on some of the key things to know about Starlink, how to get the most out of it, and how recent changes will affect your connectivity on the water.
What is Starlink, and how does it work on boats?
Starlink is a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation with more than 7,200 satellites (as of May 2025) that orbit roughly 350 miles above sea level. Rather than using traditional parabolic antennas that mechanically track satellites, Starlink terminals are electronically steered arrays with no moving parts and are mass-produced at the Space X facility in Texas, dramatically reducing their cost for boaters.
And with satellites that orbit that low, the speed at which Starlink signals travel from boat to Internet and back (aka “latency”) is fast enough that gaming, video chatting, and rapid-fire stock trading are a reality thanks to an “at-home” Internet experience.
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