Starlink has discontinued its Global Roam plan and limited Roam Unlimited to 30 days per stay abroad. For long-distance sailors and full-time travelers who depend on continuous internet, the satellite service is becoming noticeably more expensive and complicated.
What has changed
The satellite internet provider has significantly trimmed its roaming plans:
- Global Roam (previously unlimited land-based internet for around 400 US dollars a month) has been unavailable to new customers since mid-July 2026 and was ended for existing customers on 17 August 2026.
- Roam Unlimited (around 95 euros/month in Germany) now allows international use for only up to 30 days outside the registered home country – down from up to 60 days.
- For the cheaper Roam 100 GB and 300 GB plans, international use is dropped entirely.
What remains after 30 days
Once the 30 days abroad are up, there are three options: switch to a more expensive Priority plan, move the account to a new country, or return to the home country to reset the window. Anyone who wants to stay online location-independently effectively ends up on the Global Priority plan – in Germany from around 241 euros a month for 50 GB, and thus considerably more expensive.
Why long-distance sailors are hit hardest
For bluewater sailors, the 30-day rule is barely practical: a yacht that lies in a different country every month cannot simply return “home” to reset the window. Moving the account to another country reportedly takes 90 to 120 days, comes with different regional pricing, and requires travel registration including identity verification. That leaves established satellite systems such as Iridium as a fallback – at least for emergency and safety backup.
Sources: YACHT, Mobile Internet Resource Center, Seabits.
