Starlink terminals will cost $700 for new Ukrainian consumers, according to the company’s website, a rise from about $385 earlier this year. The consumer cost of the monthly subscription will now rise from $60 to $75.
Starlink, a satellite internet constellation operated by tech billionaire Elon Musk’s spacecraft manufacturer SpaceX, has been crucial for providing communications for the Ukrainian military and energy, telecommunications, healthcare, and agricultural facilities in the country.
The terminals play a key role in keeping the communication channels open during blackouts to bypass overloaded mobile broadband in Ukraine.
Ukraine's government exempted Starlink from VAT and customs duty on Nov. 30 to reduce their costs. The government is also negotiating the purchase of thousands of Starlink systems shelters, known as "points of invincibility."
According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, the government aims to supply each center with a Starlink unit to provide people with an uninterrupted Internet connection.