Thread: 100% NZ mobile coverage via SpaceX Starlink

It won't replace need to PLBs but could be useful alternative to inReach. Wondering what it'll cost.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/131...coverage-of-nz

One NZ’s mobile service is currently delivered though cellphone towers, but the Starlink agreement will mean customers will be able to use their smartphones to connect via satellite when they are in areas that don’t have cellular coverage.
Spokesperson Nicky Parsons said the satellite service would initially only allow text messages, including multimedia (MMS) texts, but would later be expanded to also support voice calls and mobile broadband.
One NZ has yet to decide how it will price and market the service, but customers should not need new smartphones or any extra equipment to make use of it.
Parsons said One NZ would allow any mobile users, including Spark and 2degrees customers, to roam on its Starlink service and send emergency messages in the event of a disaster similar to the cyclone.
The three mobile network providers already have a mutual arrangement to enable each others’ customers to contact emergency services over their cellular networks in situations where one of those is out of action.
Paris said that as well as improving public safety, 100% mobile coverage could revolutionise business in industries such as agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, tourism, forestry, transport and logistics.

Was wondering the same thing. Might almost make the messenger part redundant. Still need the plb but both the mapping and messaging could be done from a phone

Bring it on and about time, coverage here was better in the late 1980's than it is today

Don't know about coverage per se, but phones do t have thr punch they used to have.
Bit like walkie talkies.
Back in the day there weren't so many towers about. As such they had to be grunting to reach them.
Now there are heaps of towers the phones aren't designed to go as far.
I think that is the case from a couple of conversations quite a fee years ago.
Won't be offended if proven wrong

Its only $199 (Starlink hardware) at the moment, last year hardware cost a lot more.

Tossing up whether to ditch voyager ($99/month) and join up ($150/month) or wait and see.

Originally Posted by 7mmwsm

Vodafone cut our phone off and lied about why.
I'd go back to smoke signals and pigeons before I'd pay those bastards for anything.

They continued billing us for nearly 12 months after we switched providers after promises to provide us with fibre went unfulfilled for nearly a year.
We were not on a contract had been with them for several years, they kept sending us a bill every month and every month despite wasting hours of my life talking to supervisors and managers being assured I would not receive another bill for a service that was no longer being provided, only to receive a bill the next month and start the cycle of call centre in some far away land to eventually be put through to the next supervisor/Manager once again promised all would be sorted.....this absolute cluster went on for a year, I even resorted to sending them invoices for my time which was literally hours every month, they never paid not surprising.
This was finally sorted when I started publishing their emails on their fb page showing the utter incompetence of their call centre staff.

in the end got a call from someone in NZ and an apology but yeah it would be a hard pill to swallow to go back to them.

I got Starlink RV in December for our Bach in Marlborough sounds where we have very limited 3g cover - cost $520 for the kit and I see that's now $729 and called Roam. Usage costs $199/month compared to $159/month for the residential version, but I can only pay for 4 months use then turn it off for the 6-8 months when we won't be there. Performance wise it is amazing I could access our business server for anything, held MS teams calls include overseas, down loaded movies and YouTube clips, text and calls. Cell phone had to be set up for Wi-Fi calling. We run off solar and felt the system chewed a bit of juice, so I turned it off last thing at night and on again in the morning seemed to leave more in the batteries in the morning and it connected back up straight away. Dwon loaded the app, Install was easy all the needed kit to get it going, but I brough a bracket $125 from them so I could bolt the receiver to the bach. Powered it up and after a few whirrs the dish self-aligned to the best reception angle - we were getting 200 MBPS at times.

Originally Posted by AMac

I got Starlink RV in December for our Bach in Marlborough sounds where we have very limited 3g cover - cost $520 for the kit and I see that's now $729 and called Roam. Usage costs $199/month compared to $159/month for the residential version, but I can only pay for 4 months use then turn it off for the 6-8 months when we won't be there. Performance wise it is amazing I could access our business server for anything, held MS teams calls include overseas, down loaded movies and YouTube clips, text and calls. Cell phone had to be set up for Wi-Fi calling. We run off solar and felt the system chewed a bit of juice, so I turned it off last thing at night and on again in the morning seemed to leave more in the batteries in the morning and it connected back up straight away. Dwon loaded the app, Install was easy all the needed kit to get it going, but I brough a bracket $125 from them so I could bolt the receiver to the bach. Powered it up and after a few whirrs the dish self-aligned to the best reception angle - we were getting 200 MBPS at times.

Yeah, website says 50-75 watt draw. People who do not live off grid don't understand that that equates to 1.2 - 1.8 kw/day

Thats what 2 x 410 Litre ElCold freezers would draw!!!

I see in 2024 starlink and One(vodafone) have teamed up.
I like to get away from the phone wheni go for a walk,but as far as safety is concerned reckon it'll be great for those that maybe don't have a plb.

What do you peeps think?

Sent from my SM-N970F using Tapatalk

Originally Posted by MCCPRO

I see in 2024 starlink and One(vodafone) have teamed up.
I like to get away from the phone wheni go for a walk,but as far as safety is concerned reckon it'll be great for those that maybe don't have a plb.

What do you peeps think?

Sent from my SM-N970F using Tapatalk

@MCPRO I have merged your post with a thread started earlier today as it was a better fit in this section, hope that's OK ?

Brought the starlink kit two weeks ago for 468, now on special at 199. Piss me off...

Performance is better by far than Spark, Vodafone and 2 degrees where I am - but. The kit only comes with a useless lawn mount that won't bolt anywhere meaning you need to buy some other sort of mount to bolt it up permanently to something... Also the inbuilt router is utter shite, it's garbage. Can't do any of the normal router things that you need if you have a NAS or a device attached to your router and you need to run a static IP for it, so you need to bypass that garbage piece of junk (which means turning off the wifi mode and running it as a LAN hard connection only direct to a real router - this means buying an ethernet adapter for $65). Also the parts are in short supply for some reason, still waiting on a wall mount bracket to get the dam dish off the lawn. Bastards. Starlink is a good product, but the company needs to sort it's shite out and start supplying a) better service and decent technical installation information as in bypass mode you need to static IP the starlink router and address it in the wifi router you end up using so that app (which is the only way of adjusting the things settings) can communicate. Not ideal and actually bloody frustrating when you are used to logging into the router from an IP address like normal and having all the features at your mouse click and b) have all the bits and gear actually there in stock...

Also, the marine and RV products seem to have this thing where they want you to park up to use the internet, not sure what thats about as marine when you aren't on watch it would be awesome to have streaming internet available. A swing and a miss there! But the concept of whole-of-country communications is just absolutely brilliant - if it works as advertised (and as it's Vodafone/one nz I have my doubts to be fair as they are the masters of the cockup) I will definitely be into it. I'm a Spark contract and Voda prepay user for the areas where Spark isn't so I can really see the benefits of this concept but I expect I will still need another company connection.

Brought starlink during the first lockdown, paid $900 but worth every cent not having to deal with the pricks at spark and Vodafone anymore.

Screwed to roof of my carport using existing stand, turned on and away it went zero issues.

Its a great idea but one I refuse to use anything Vodacrap and two Musk is a jerk and so is not getting my money. Apart from that its still a great idea and I hear other networks are in discussion with other sat companies. Coverage in the back country is a moot point I always have my phone on airplane mode to save battery and the Topo works on plane mode, for accidents I have a PLB. Wife knows I can't be contacted and is ok with that.

just been on news...looks like will be able to send a txt from pretty well anywhere before to long. about time they caught up and did it.

hell, for 18 months, the wife gets someone elses phone bill every month despite multiple phone calls/emails etc to voda
they couldnt organise a wet fart in a laxative factory